The Unfairground

Prog-rock innovator Kevin Ayers’ final album sums up the intelligence, droll humor, and fierce creativity that characterized his 40-plus years in music. The Unfairground features contributions from old comrades like Robert Wyatt and Phil Manzanera as well as younger admirers like Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel), Gary Olsen (Ladybug Transistor), and Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci). Rising to the occasion, Ayers delivers a batch of revelatory, often brutally honest songs dealing with love and loss. These serious topics are infused with a buoyancy and musical wit that combine folk and psychedelic strains with touches of vaudeville and classic pop. A happy/sad sort of acceptance informs “Only Heaven Knows,” “Cold Shoulder," and the title track. With hard-won insight, Ayers punctures inflated egos in “Walk on Water” and says goodbye to a double-dealing lover in “Friends and Strangers.” Unsettling numbers like “Brainstorm” find balance in the jaunty sing-along “Run Run Run.” Fat brass passages and whimsical strings enrich the arrangements, and Ayers’ husky bass vocals convey a wry gravitas.