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**Gary Numan - Splinter: Songs From A Broken Mind**
★★★★☆

Gary Numan has always been a master of reinvention, but few could have predicted the creative renaissance that would define his later career. When the electronic pioneer released "Splinter: Songs From A Broken Mind" in 2013, it marked not just another chapter in his four-decade journey, but a powerful statement that his artistic fire burns brighter than ever. This haunting collection stands as testament to an artist who refuses to coast on past glories, instead diving headfirst into the darkest corners of his psyche.

To understand "Splinter's" significance, one must trace Numan's remarkable trajectory through three pivotal works that define his legacy. First came 1979's "The Pleasure Principle," the album that catapulted him from post-punk curiosity to global phenomenon. Built around the hypnotic pulse of "Cars," it established Numan's template of icy synthesizers, robotic vocals, and dystopian themes that would influence everyone from Depeche Mode to Nine Inch Nails. The album's clinical precision and alien atmosphere created a blueprint for electronic music that still resonates today.

Then there's 1994's "Sacrifice," a brutal industrial metamorphosis that shocked fans expecting another helping of synth-pop nostalgia. Recorded during a period of personal turmoil and creative frustration, "Sacrifice" saw Numan embrace crushing guitars, aggressive rhythms, and a newfound heaviness that aligned him with the emerging industrial metal scene. While initially divisive, it's now recognized as a crucial pivot point that saved his career from irrelevance, proving he could evolve beyond his "Tubeway Army" origins.

"Splinter" represents the culmination of this evolutionary process, synthesizing the atmospheric brilliance of his early work with the crushing intensity of his industrial period. The album emerged from a particularly dark chapter in Numan's life, as he grappled with severe depression, Asperger's syndrome, and the pressures of maintaining relevance in an increasingly youth-obsessed industry. Rather than retreat into comfortable nostalgia, he channeled these struggles into his most emotionally raw and sonically adventurous work in years.

Musically, "Splinter" occupies a unique space between electronic body music, industrial rock, and atmospheric soundscaping. The production, courtesy of Ade Fenton, creates a claustrophobic sonic environment where grinding guitars coexist with ethereal synthesizers, while Numan's vocals alternate between vulnerable whispers and commanding roars. It's darker than his classic period but more nuanced than his industrial experiments, suggesting an artist who has finally found the perfect balance between accessibility and artistic integrity.

The album's standout tracks showcase this newfound maturity beautifully. "Love Hurt Bleed" opens the proceedings with a devastating emotional punch, its pounding rhythms and soaring melodies creating an anthem for the walking wounded. "We're All Lies" strips away the bombast for something more intimate and unsettling, while "Lost" builds from ambient beginnings to crushing climax with the patience of a master craftsman. Perhaps most impressive is "My Name Is Ruin," a seven-minute epic that feels like a mission statement, its layers of sound creating a cinematic scope that rivals his greatest achievements.

What makes "Splinter" so compelling is its unflinching honesty. This isn't the detached android of "Are 'Friends' Electric?" but a flesh-and-blood human being wrestling with very real demons. Songs like "The Calling" and "Here in the Black" confront mental illness, isolation, and mortality with a directness that's both uncomfortable and cathartic. Numan has always been an outsider, but here he transforms that alienation into something universal and deeply moving.

The album's legacy continues to grow, influencing a new generation of electronic artists while earning Numan his highest chart positions in decades. It proved that veteran artists could create vital, contemporary music without sacrificing their essential identity. More importantly, it established the template for Numan's ongoing late-career purple patch, leading to equally impressive follow-ups like "Savage" and "Intruder."

"Splinter" stands as proof that true artists never stop evolving. In an era of reunion tours and greatest hits packages, Gary Numan chose the harder path of genuine artistic growth. The result is an album that honors his past while fearlessly embracing an uncertain future – much like the broken min