PREVIEW: Billy Idol – Can’t Break Me Down

Holy shit Troy! Now if this was jukebox jury I’d be struggling to guess who this song was by. Are you sure that this is Billy Idol? Says so on this here tin so it must be. It’s not so much the sound or style, though we will get to that in a second, but the voice, I can only assume that my hearing is fading because there’s none of that cocksure and sneering lip curled scowl, this is Idol on the ropes and throwing his all in, its deeper more smoked and pretty much unrecognisable when this loosens itself from the shackles and goes for it for the chorus.

We here though have a soft spot for Idol, Generation X where our first love, ‘Valley of the Dolls’ a much underrated album and disappointingly crucified critically, while parting shot ‘Kiss me Deadly’ is pretty much a foretelling soundtrack of MTV’s coming and in to the bargain the near naked and vulnerable blueprint for classic Idol to come to which America embraced – ‘Dancing with Myself’ still resonates with a subtle and enviable ahead of the curve cool that literally pissed over most of the class of 76.

As to the song itself, it’s your fist to the sky punching effervescence, admittedly a little too saccharine for our taste buds but certainly evidence aplenty that the Idol now has connected to the Idol of a former younger self of ‘Rebel Yell’ and with that rediscovering his mojo which be honest is about time given the late 80s and 90s where a fairly rum period creativity wise.

So to ‘Can’t Break Me down’ – is Idol the only one who can make the 80s sound so – well er – modern and relevant? All-out aural attack, teeth bearing boogaloo which admittedly after several plays really begins to kick in, searing riffolo all blessed with the kind of breathless eye jabbing punch that sweeps you along avalanche like whether you fancy it or not into its path all kissed with a prowling purr and a f*** you teen spirited speaker splitting euphoric chorus line. His new album ‘Kings and queens of the Underground’ looms large on the horizon on October the 20th.