Kate Bush - Aerial CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

mathematics, her son and a washing machine, the first disc rarely rises above a musical whisper. The second, a conceptual work that follows nature's course from afternoon to sunrise, slowly builds via fantastically gorgeous strings, a brief smattering of Spanish guitar, one slinky protracted groove built for "Nocturne," and a duet of laughter and birdcalls on the throbbing title track. Akin to recent Antony and the Johnsons and latter-day Talk Talk, Aerial doesn't deliver anything resembling a conventional pop tune. And this suits Bush just fine.

The sui generis of female singer-songwriters returns after a 12-year break with her best work since 1985's Hounds of Love. Bush's genius is to write intricate, beautiful melodies that delight the ear on face value, but reward careful listeners with hidden meanings and subtexts. Kate's acolytes (and they are legion) would kill to have written just one of these songs.