PopTodd Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Barry Adamson - I Will Set You FreeIn the four years since Barry Adamson issued the tour de force that was Back to the Cat, he's participated in at least one Magazine reunion tour. He was an original member before leaving to join the first version of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Adamson's influence is clearly felt on their first three albums and singles. I Will Set You Free purposely evokes the swaggering, sleazy rock & roll of the Bad Seeds and the restrained menace of Magazine's post-punk moodiness -- as well as other stops along his idiosyncratic musical journey. Though he doesn't emphasize the imaginary soundtrack moves of his early records, it doesn't mean they aren't here -- check "The Trigger City Blues," with its spooky organ and sound effects (breaking glass, ringing telephones, etc.). Adamson kicks off the ten-song set with "Get Your Mind Right," fueled by a throbbing, rumbling, distorted bassline that recalls the early Bad Seeds. He also cops part of the Rolling Stones' "Street Fightin' Man" lyrically and melodically at the end of each line in the refrain. "Black Holes in My Brain" is a fingerpopping shuffler that evokes Adamson's trademark lounge lizard persona as well as his deep love of swinging, bluesy jazz, though he undergirds it all with his thoroughly funk-drenched bassline for admirable contrast. 'Turnaround" uses the melodic, alienated menace of post-punk, though Adamson turns the tables by using it in a straight-up love song. "Destination" is pure sonic attack, directly referencing the Stooges "Penetration." On the refrain, however, Adamson throws a change-up: he slips an irresistible pop hook into the refrain and bridge without losing stride. "Looking to Love Somebody" is a shimmering, soulful, 21st century funk driven by harpsichord, rubbery bassline, wah-wah guitars and breaks. "The Sun and the Sea" features layers of guitars but actively suggests Magazine's "Secondhand Daylight." Adamson's Howard Devoto-esque alienated prophet contradicts the song's bright tempo; highlighting the influence further are keyboards in the instrumental interlude. "If You Love Her" unabashedly references Scott Walker's passionate, theatrical croon from Scott 4 with Piero Piccioni-esque production. (Adamson has the vocal chops to pull it off.) The set closes with an even stranger homage: to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust if it had been produced by David Axelrod. Even with the pop music encyclopedia at his disposal, his songs reflect his signature iconoclasm. With their wildly various, crowded musical architectures, his songs' lyrics address desire and death, and celebrate the spiritual impossibility of living "purely." In Adamson's subjective universe, the standalone "I" may occasionally wish to enter the collective "We" but accepts that it cannot. I Will Set You Free is the sound of Adamson's liberation as a songwriter, producer, and arranger. He feels comfortable in his skin on this wonderfully sequenced collection of songs that makes no attempt to hide his past; if anything, he celebrates it as he moves ever forward. 4/5-Thom Jurek, AllMusic.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Free download of song from the new album.(Look at the bottom of the page.)This one: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 OH SHIT!!!BARRY ADAMSON IN-STORE!!! Dear Citizen of America,An update for you. Barry Adamson will be taking to a shop floor in your good land next week to serenade you and your fellow man. Monday 20 Feb - Other Music, NYC - 8pmhttp://othermusic.com/ Thursday 23 Feb - Reckless Records (Milwaukee Ave) - 6pmhttp://www.reckless.com/YES!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kim Bodnia Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Never heard of this fellow before, I'm currently listening to the stream at spinner.com, thanks for the heads up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 No problem.There is a lot of great music to discover in his catalog. Hope that you enjoy digging in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Just arrived in my mailbox!Awwwww yeah! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 This is NOT fucking disappointing me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 Anyone else pick this up? You digging it as much as I am?GtrPlyr: this is right up your alley, I think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Still pretty fucking high up my best of 12 list. The only one really seriously competing for the #1 slot with it is the Fun. record. If you pay attention to such things, I'm sure that you've seen it in my NP quite often. So, I just wanna stir up some more talk about this thing, because I think that it deserves more attention from the board than it's getting.I also think that it would probably hit the sweet spot for a lot of you.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJJF-RDsGLMFucking love this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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