If this doesn't sound too bleak, I've often wondered if musicians lose their gift for melody and hooks as they get a bit older. I'm sure there are countless examples to the contrary, but I was a teenager in the 90s and 00s who listened to a lot of artists who'd been big in the 60s /70s, and I noticed as I followed their back catalogues through to present day, later material tended to lose a bit of spark.
This isn't what I actually came on to post - I just got sidetracked by the interesting discussion about the hooks in these new songs. What I wanted to ask is... Is Tim just featured on the album recording of Alone, or does he play (or even co-write) several songs?