Gary Numan is something of a phenomenon. He really should have become a relic of a bygone age, as relevant to 2006 as perms and Howard Jones. Yet thanks to some choice sampling (Sugababes, Basement Jaxx), countless credible endorsements, the 80s revival and a spectacularly obsessed fan base, Numan not only has never gone away, he is poised to make another comeback.
If Jagged aims to capitalise on the lucrative nostalgia market that has suited the Human League so well recently, it shows no signs of it. This is a harsh, uncompromising piece of work. Owing more to industrial than pop, this is the Numan that influenced Nine Inch Nails, Bowie and Afrika Bambaataa rather than just a catchy synth line of ‘Freak Like Me’. As such, it’s not an easy listen. Made in collaboration with underground electronic artist Ade Fenton, the emphasis seems to be on the sound rather than the songs.
That sound is pretty brutal, Numan’s ice-cold vocals matched by a mechanical musical landscape. Ultimately, Jagged could as easily have been made in 1982 as it could 2006, which is both its strength and its weakness. Numan has single-mindedly stuck to his guns, and for that he should be admired. When he walks on stage at the Electric Picnic, however, you hope that he remembers to bring along a few of the hits to keep him company.