The Depths · All albums

Hounds of Love

Kate Bush · 1985

• Scores: Noise 1, Unease 2, Complexity 2 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Art Pop, Art Rock
• Mood: dreamy, dramatic, haunting
• Sound: Fairlight synthesizer, conceptual second-side suite, layered vocals, Irish folk influence, drum machines

Hounds of Love splits the album in two: a first side of art-pop singles, then The Ninth Wave, a seven-track suite about a woman adrift in cold water between sleep and rescue. Kate Bush produced it herself over about two years at her home studio, Windmill Lane in Dublin and Abbey Road, building the songs around demos made on a Fairlight CMI, LinnDrum and piano. The Fairlight sits alongside layered vocals and traditional Irish instruments, the title track opens with a sampled séance scene from a 1957 horror film, and "Hello Earth" works in a Georgian folk song sung by a choir. It was a major influence on later art pop artists such as Goldfrapp.

Track list

1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) (5:00)
2. Hounds of Love (3:02)
3. The Big Sky (4:41)
4. Mother Stands for Comfort (3:07)
5. Cloudbusting (5:10)
6. And Dream of Sheep (2:45)
7. Under Ice (2:21)
8. Waking the Witch (4:18)
9. Watching You Without Me (4:06)
10. Jig of Life (4:04)
11. Hello Earth (6:13)
12. The Morning Fog (2:34)