Exceptionally mature for a sophomore effort, The Flat Earth has held up considerably well since its 1984 release. This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Thomas Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. "Dissidents" steps in cautiously and conjures images of blacklisted authors and ugly snow, gray from oppression. Here and elsewhere, Matthew Seligman's bass is a welcome addition -- throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track, "The Flat Earth," is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm Read Full BioExceptionally mature for a sophomore effort, The Flat Earth has held up considerably well since its 1984 release. This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Thomas Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. "Dissidents" steps in cautiously and conjures images of blacklisted authors and ugly snow, gray from oppression. Here and elsewhere, Matthew Seligman's bass is a welcome addition -- throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track, "The Flat Earth," is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar. "Screen Kiss" has a similarly ethereal quality, and the lyrics are lush with imagery, if occasionally cryptic. "White City"'s drug reference and chugging groove are as murky as they are energizing, so new wavers might find themselves frowning a bit on the dancefloor. Then there is "Mulu the Rain Forest," a globally minded curiosity of foreboding and disorienting samples that certainly feels a long way off from The Golden Age of Wireless. Dolby gets points for shrugging off any obligation to formula, but this voodoo spell has an adverse effect on the rest of the album. What follows is certainly a graceful recovery -- his rendition of 1967's "I Scare Myself" is a balmy jazz club cocktail -- faithfully nostalgic, right down to a bittersweet trombone solo from Peter Thomas. "Hyperactive" is, and always was, one part bizarre to two parts infectious. Guest vocalist Adele Bertei fuels the fire of what was already destined to be a memorable diversion, beyond the reach of Top 40. Thomas Dolby's work on The Flat Earth harks back to a time when songs mattered more than videos, even as MTV was discovering its strength. Last time the songwriter blinded us with science; this time it's musicianship. ~ Glenn Swan, Rovi
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Dissidents
Thomas Dolby Lyrics
One more young writer slid away in the night
Over the border he will drown in light
Hold it - wait a minute
I can't read my writing, my own writing!
Like tiny insects in the palm of history
A domino effect in a cloud ofmystery
My writing is an iron fist
In a glove full of vaseline
Dip the fuse in the kerosene
I too become a dissident
Courting disaster we ran in the night
Wings of an angel torn in flight
Check it - verify it
It's all here in writing, down in writing!
At the hands of the press
And in the eyes of the government
I fell from grace
I too became a dissident
Like tiny insects in the palm of history
A domino effect and an early end to this story
My writing is an iron fist in a glove full of vaseline
But dip the fuse in the kerosene
I too become a dissident.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEVIN ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG, MATTHEW THOMAS ARTHUR SELIGMAN, THOMAS MORGAN DOLBY ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Mark Bowen
Side one of this album is one of those perfect "sides" from the LP era.
Paul R
@Liam Hemmings for me I’ve been listening to it since it came out when I was 19. I never tire of this album. FFS where did all that time go…
Hurr Durr
also love mulu and hyperactive on side B.
Liam Hemmings
Been listening to this album since I was 15. It's a beautiful piece of work.
Sven Jansen
Yea it's hauntingly beautiful. Sounds like a fairy tale.
Carol Cooks
Just love this album. Screen kiss and flat earth are beautiful
Lee Hoven
And hyperactive. :)
steve silverstone
I can't believe that there are only 63 comments, 64 now.
For this album!! This is a brilliant brilliant album, I couldn't stop listening to it for years. One of the best albums from the 80's.
Joseph Letts
According to my Russian girlfriend the Russian is "when a human is born, he is weak and flexible; when he dies- he is strong and callous. when a tree grows, it is tender and flexible, and when it is dry, it dies, it dies."
Sergey Kharitonov
@Tech&Music it's impossible, this cut in Russian is absolutely intentional