Barry Adamson
As Above So Below
Mute
The sixth full-length solo outing from former Magazine/Bad Seed bassist Barry Adamson is one of the most musically stylish ruminations on the duality of man that you’re likely to hear this year. Lyrically fixated on the inner struggle between the urges of good and evil, heaven and hell, As Above So Below finds the multi-instrumentalist Adamson creating an album of lush, cinematic soundscapes and moody noir instrumentation. With styles spanning funk, crime jazz, soul, hip-hop, avant-rock, and big band swing, As Above So Below shows off Adamson’s compositional dexterity as well as any album in his catalog, and retains a surprising amount of sensuality and cohesion despite its frequent genre-hopping. Serving as the album’s ringmaster, Adamson’s voice morphs in and out of a variety of characters, some lost and desperate for salvation, and some gleefully cooing from the depths of hell. Be warned, long-time Adamson fans, that this record is a departure from Barry’s previous soundtrack / Film Noir sounding albums of that past. This is a full song based record, but a great success none the less. Mute Records, 140 W. 22nd Street, Ste. 10A, New York, NY 10011
