The new record from Cate Le Bon continues the musician's journey between pop and post-rock. The textures here are richly detailed, while the synth-beds under Le Bon's honeyed vocals are lush enough to sound like they were pilfered from an Eighties Eurythmics offering. Michelangelo Dying is thus wildly accessible, and still in line with Cate's trajectory as an iconoclast.
"Mothers of Riches" and the opener "Jerome" are layered, with a Robin Guthrie-ish sense of how to build instrumental complexity into a tune. Cate Le Bon's vocals are as lovely as ever, gently bracing even. There's even a bit of a Sakamoto-style thing happening on the percolating "Pieces of My Heart", enough that the backing could be compared to the best YMO numbers. Throughout all of this, no matter how complicated and engaging the sound is, Cate Le Bon's voice is the star of the show. An Annie Lennox-y turn on the ravishing "Is It Worth It (Happy Birthday)?" is enough to knock even long-time fans on their heels, and it's one of many selections much like that, including one with a brief appearance from the legendary John Cale.
Michelangelo Dying is certainly the loveliest Cate Le Bon record yet. Compared to the more challenging compositions on her earlier records, what's here from Cate in 2025 is full of melodic invention and an overall sound which favors depth and a nearly baroque sense of instrumentation. Lush keyboards and samples anchor these compositions and Cate is totally in command, offering up some of her best vocal performancs ever. What makes this album resonant with long-time listeners is how this one feels like a culmination of all that Le Bon's done to this point. Highly recommended.
Michelangelo Dying by Cate Le Bon is out today via Mexican Summer.
[Photo: H. Hawking]