SIMPLE MINDS

Direction Of The Heart (BMG)

Arty, political and acclaimed Scottish rockers Simple Minds return with their 18th album, Direction Of The Heart. The single First You Jump is a pretty accurate signifier of what to expect of a nine-song set that flows together very nicely.

Since the release of New Gold Dream almost exactly four decades ago, Simple Minds have rarely put a foot wrong – that spacious, complex-sounding and the electronically-charged album was a sizeable influence on U2’s decision to embrace more electronics within their sound – now, with Direction…, Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and co seem to have embraced some of U2’s stadium roof-lifting anthemic clout and married it to the turbocharged ambience of New Gold Dream whilst revving up the punchiness of 1985 minds LP Once Upon A Time.

As a whole, Direction Of The Heart is an uplifting no-holds-barred winner that will please both established Simple Minds followers and new converts.

words DAVID NOBAKHT