“What God Wanted” by Gary Numan

Northern Transmissions' 'Song of the Day' is "What God Wanted" by Gary Numan,

Gary Numan’s new song “What God Intended” is off his forthcoming release Savage (Songs From A Broken World). The fll-length comes out on September 15th via BMG. The album arrives, almost four years after his album Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) Gary Numan, starts his tour on November 15th in San Diego, CA.

Savage (Songs From A Broken World) is described as an album with a narrative that’s set in an apocalyptic, post-global warming Earth in the not-too-distant future. There is no technology left and most of the planet has turned to a desolate desert wasteland. Food is scarce, water even more so and human kindness and decency are just a dim and distant memory. Western and Eastern cultures have merged, more because of the need to simply survive than any feelings of greater tolerance or understanding. It’s a harsh, savage environment, as are the survivors who still roam across it.

While Numan was writing the record, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. It made sense to make him and his climate decisions the catalyst for the apocalypse theme of the album.

“The songs are about the things that people do in such a harsh and terrifying environment,” explains Numan. “It’s about a desperate need to survive and they do awful things in order to do so, and some are haunted by what they’ve done. That desire to be forgiven, along with some discovered remnants of an old religious book, ultimately encourages religion to resurface, and it really goes downhill from there.”

The album was produced by long-term collaborator Ade Fenton, with recording sessions split between Numan’s own studio in LA, and in the UK. Numan and Fenton’s creative connection goes back to 2006’s Jagged. “Ade is not only extremely creative but ridiculously hard working, even in difficult circumstances,” says Numan. “It’s easy to discuss alternative ideas with him, he’s not precious about things and is always looking to make the music better, even if that means, on very rare occasions, undoing his own work and starting again.”

Numan announced the album last month and shared its lead single “My Name Is Ruin.” It’s a menacing industrial march in which the unrelenting mechanized intensity is countered by the humanity of its sweet, swirling backing vocals which exude a palpable Egyptian influence. It’s immediately captivating but brutally uncompromising: the sound of an artist eager to continue to push both himself and his audience almost four decades after presenting his initial sonic prototype.

Gary Numan
(Savage) Songs From A Broken World
Tracklisting

01. Ghost Nation
02. Bed Of Thorns
03. My Name Is Ruin*
04. The End Of Things
05. And It All Began With You
06. When The World Comes Apart
07. Mercy
08. What God Intended*
09. Pray For The Pain You Serve
10. Broken

Gary Numan
Tour Dates

Nov 15 – The Observatory North Park; San Diego, CA
Nov 16 – Teragram Ballroom; Los Angeles, CA
Nov 17 – The Observatory; Santa Ana, CA
Nov 19 – The Fillmore; San Francisco, CA
Nov 21 – Wonder Ballroom; Portland, OR
Nov 22 – Neptune; Seattle, OR
Nov 23 – The Rickshaw Theatre; Vancouver
Nov 24 – Commonwealth; Calgary
Nov 26 – Pyramid Cabaret; Winnipeg
Nov 28 – First Avenue; Minneapolis, MN
Nov 29 – Thalia Hall; Chicago, IL
Nov 30 – St Andrews Hall; Detroit, IL
Dec 01 – Opera House; Toronto
Dec 04 – Paradise Rock Club; Boston, MA
Dec 06 – Union Transfer; Philadelphia, PA
Dec 07 – Brooklyn Street; Brooklyn, NY
Dec 09 – 9:30 Club; Washington DC
Dec 11 – The Masquerade – Heaven Stage; Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 – Exit / In; Nashville, TN
Dec 14 – Trees; Dallas, TX
Dec 15 – Warehouse Live Studio; Houston, TX
Dec 16 – The Mohawk; Austin, TX

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