Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Lynchian af. What are we calling this style (aside from Lynchian)? Seedy surrealism? Post-modern, psycho-sexual, campy, horror noir? Whatever you call it, it tends to be hit and miss for me. It hits when it just grazes the canyon walls of the Uncanny Valley. It misses when it tries too hard to impress upon you how ~weird~ it is. This album has a bit of both. I enjoyed the instrumental work. The vocal not so much. I can see why some of you love it. I can see why some of you hate it. It's ok. It's creative at least.
This was a very interesting album to listen to. It was pleasant as background music.
This is pretty out there, but it has musical moments and certainly shows great creativity.
I was so impressed! I mean what a strange combination of styles. Dark ambient, lounge, orchestral shit… dude this is an anazing listen I wish MF DOOM could hop on some of these instrumentals
Nobody needs to hear this pointless guff.
Frühstücksmusik
nah
glad i listened even if i found it middling. it certainly has some weird moments and despite the fairly lounge-based sound acid jazz tends to have, this goes in experimental and challenging directions. not all very successful, but i respect this a lot more than i was expecting to. deserves to be one of the 1001? acid jazz is important, especially from a UK perspective, but i don't know if i would consider this a particularly important example. seems like it was included because of the Nick Cave connection. meh. probably not.
eh
By far the weirdest album I have listened to so far. The first part of it was like if your local sex-positive club was in a lounge bar. The rest of it? I’m not sure. There’s some spoken word, some with a jazz feel, and some… you’d just have to experience. If you like experimental stuff, this is the album for you. All of that said, I really enjoyed the ride.
I didn't know what to think of this at the start, but it really grew on me. A lushous soundscape, some wild potetry. This is the sort of music you heard in a dream and try to remember upon waking up, but in real life. Every track felt unique but themed together, and I overall really enjoyed it.
What the fuck
Electronic music that somehow felt exactly like the precursor to Moby and Fatboy Slim.
A truly interesting album. Warren’s additional listens.
Very bad. I could barely finish it. I really didn't like it but not as bad as RATM and Le tigre.
hated it
A strange grab-bag of songs. Some were good, others were not. An odd album for sure.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I refer you to my first two sentences of his other album on this list, namely Moss Side Story. This album was better though, so I'll give it 3 stars!
Skipped a few songs but over all it's okay.
Finding albums and artists like this is why I'm doing this project. I think it's (mostly) fantastic, and am looking forward to hearing more of Barry Adamson's back catalog. Having said that, I can also see why some people hate it. It's an uncomfortable listen at times. But it's the only one in my first 40 days of doing this that made me need to learn more about the artist and read other opinions to help me understand what I was listening to.
4/10
Refreshingly different from some of the other albums on the list. Varied at the expense of cohesiveness. Atmospheric but not necessarily melodic.
Can see why David Lynch dug this. What I’m learning about myself doing this list is I love an album that throws the kitchen sink against the wall and it all sticks.
Did not like this. Felt fake - all surface and no depth. Reminded me a lot of the David Holmes album on this list which is of similar vintage and similarly the songs sound dated and shallow. The slower jazzier piano numbers felt faux and lacking the warmth of some of the jazz classics on this list and felt jarring against the upbeat tracks. Not for me.
Oedipus Schmoedipus I’ve not heard of this or Barry Adamson, although reading about him he has a great background, which resonates across this album. It's a bit of a curate’s egg, not everything quite lands but it's often interesting and it has some absolutely super parts and moments across its imaginary movie soundtrack sprawl - although it feels more like each track is a soundtrack to its own movie, rather than a connected, joined whole. Set Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis is superb, surely an influence on My Star, the Motown/70’s rock beat underpinning a vaguely eastern sounding string arrangement. The presence of Massive Attack and Tricky is clear on Something Wicked this Way Comes, although it does slide a little towards the end into a kind of kitschy pastiche of loungey film scores. The Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ but the Vibes feels like it flirts with that same feeling, although the string arrangement behind the jazzy keyboard and Nighthawks at the Diner style atmosphere keeps it just about on the right side of it. It’s Business as Usual has a great unsettling sense to it, an answer phone horror film. Miles trips a bit close to that loungey pastiche, becoming very close to being the soundtrack to some b roll footage on Holiday ‘97. Dirty Barry is great though, the discordant jazzy horns and overall sense of Bernard Herman disquiet is excellent, balanced by the similarly jazzy, but more restrained In a Moment of Clarity, which nice evokes a 60s kitchen sink drama (or Ringo on the riverbank in A A Hard Day’s Night). It’s very very 90s, but I like Achieved on the Valley of the Dolls, Billy Mackenzie’s diacritic vocals and the twangy guitar giving it an unusual feel. The Big Bamboozle is obviously a Bondian/60’s spy inspired track, and although it hits the right marks, I think it also falls into that same trap of being a kitschy pastiche. The Sweetest Embrace is great though, Nick Cave giving it a typically vaudevillian quality. There is another Barry Adamson album on the list, which I’m intrigued to hear after this, but I’m not sure where to score this. For its uniqueness, sense of fun and exploration and ability to distinctly evoke different cinematic genres it’s in the 4s, but on the other hand not everything lands fully and I’m not sure how frequently I will come back to it. On balance the former outweighs the latter I think, so I think it scrapes into the 4s. 📽️📽️📽️📽️ Playlist submission: Set Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis
I listened to this album without knowing nothing of - nor reading anything about - it. Moving from Cocker's appearance on the gorgeously string-drenched opener where he Jarvises all over it, through the jazz stylings of Miles Davis on 'Miles' and into the freeform jazz (almost music concrete) of 'Dirty Barry', this was as unexpected as it was captivating. By this point I didn't know what to expect next, and was gleeful with anticipation. You can't ask much more from an album in terms of suspense and surprise. It's utterly batshit bonkers and a very lovable album. It drifts and veers, although never into filler. Certain tracks certainly stronger than others, but a very excellent curio indeed.
This was a bit strange. It sounded like a weird/horror movie sound track.
50% are fun listens and then the other 50% makes me wonder what kind of drugs he was on.
Adamson is the master of mood. I can just see the movie playing out in my head, whole stories being told and mostly just through instrumentals. Incredible. Love the guest vocals too
This was interesting, with some very funky, acid-jazz-type tracks and then some...other tracks. It made more sense to me once I learned it was the soundtrack to an imaginary film, though. The vibes ain't nothin' but the vibes.
Hoy miércoles toca artista desconocido que, al leer su CV, ya veo su grositud. La primera canción suena sexi y el mood se mantiene, con aires trip-hop y de a momentos, más darkies. Introspectivo. Una belleza de disco, claramente ideal para acompañar un momento de intimidad. Muchas gracias por la segunda sorpresa de la semana y hasta mañana.
I didn't think I had heard this before but recognised the opening track which features Jarvis Cocker. It's a bit unsettling in places and you can kind of see that it may have provided some inspiration for the Pulp record This is Hardcore which came out a couple of years later.
This is the album version of "Tell me you're pretentious without saying you're pretentious."
Had no idea what to expect. I still don't know what to think... but the colorfully titled opener has some cool parts - I like what sounds like glockenspiel. The whole thing sounds a bit like a film score and there's an odd mix of spoken vocals and a gospel choir. Confused is the word I would use. Something Wicked This Way Comes is good though, deep and sultry and electronic, almost dub-like but with loads of orchestral backing. Cinematic again and mostly instrumental (phew). The problem is, most of the rest ISN'T instrumental and the bizarre spoken word vocals and other offputting effects are no bueno. There are some good bits, jazzy instrumentals and other atmospheric stuff, but it's super inconsistent. There's probably a good album here if I could pick and choose tracks, and get rid of most of the vocals. As it stands, I'm not really sure who this appeals to and why I would spend another hour listening to it. One of the more bizarre inclusions on the list. Still, I'll give it ** because there were parts I like.
This album by former Magazine bass player Adamson is conceived as soundtrack to an imaginary film, but the diversity of styles on this record makes it seem like more a showcase of "look at all of the things I can do". Unlike an actual film score, there are no motifs or musical threads holding all of this together, to the album's detriment. It's all competent, but absent any real hooks, it's not memorable.
I have no strong feelings on this album
As I said for the other Barry Adamson album, and I can't believe there's more than one on the list, unlistenable.
very interesting - never heard of him before, enjoyed this, varied styles
Hahaha surprise Nick Cave
JFC….
Pretentious, but quite easy listening.
The difference in-between the other project I covered from Barry Adamson to the now unpronounceable Oedipus Schmoedipus is quite frankly insane. The fact that there are coherent compositions here and some pretty solid vocals to go on top of it all is utterly shocking to myself as I had called some of his previous music empty and hollow and without purpose. The Massive Attack sample on Something Wicked This Way Comes is the perfect touch of paying homage while also creating something completely original with a very simple yet catchy snippet from the track Blue Lines. Even though I just praised this album for being much more thoughtful in presentation it does pain me to say that Barry also throws quite a bit at the wall here as well with some very "experimental" tracks that really keep the listener on their toes and slightly annoyed during the entire runtime. There is a lot of hits and misses here with a majority of the album feeling very plain and not quite as inspired as some of the more memorable tracks. Also doesn't help this album has a lot of super uneccesary audio snippets that do nothing but bloat the runtime so it just barely hits over 50 minutes total. I get you want to fill your CD or whatever format to the maximum, but wasting a listener's time is not a good reason to do such a thing. As much as I want to like Oedipus Schmoedipus I sadly couldn't get around how inconsistent and all over the place the presentation is...
Weird
Interesting and very atmospheric album. It doesn't quite come together for me, but it definitely has some solid moments. My biggest critique is that some parts lean way too much into being monotonous muzak instead of actively contributing to the overall feeling. Still, Adamson was trying something pretty unique here and I do appreciate that. Might be one of the top albums that I've given 3 stars to that I'd be interested in revisiting.
I am sure this album is actually genius, but it was a rollercoaster I was not ready for.
nawwww, this was so so so freaky. the stalking song? no thanks. Was gonna give it a 1 but I will say that I liked the big baboozle haha. Ridiculous album that reminds me of Tom Waits’ Swordfishtrombones without the fun.
7/10
Too stressful for a Tuesday morning
Very weird. Then jazzy, then immediately back to weird again. 2.5/5
A soundtrack for an imaginary film is quite an interesting idea, perhaps even quite novel in 1993. It was a bit of a “is that (insert musician)?” experience with Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave both making appearances. We also have Miles Davis making an appearance, unsurprisingly for ‘Miles’. Jazz is probably at the heart of much of the album, some interesting arrangements. It’s quite energetic in places, quite chilled out at times and even rather sinister at other times - I guess the variety of moods is required for this imaginary film. The Big Bamboozle is instantly recognisable and has no doubt been used to score various TV/film down the years. There’s also a nice sample of Spooky by Dusty Springfield for Something Wicked This Way Comes. There’s a lot to like here but perhaps it could be streamlined a little, particularly Vermillion Kisses felt unnecessary.
Snakk om å være en ulett blanding mellom overraskanes trivelig og aldeles fullt av uhygge. Og all den tid æ foretrekk å ta berg-og-dalbaner via andre metoder enn musikk va ikke det her nokka for mæ.
Kind of scary and unpredictable. It was cool to listen but not a repeat album. Different and surprising.
An enigma. Normally this sort of thing would either bore or annoy me, but I found quite a few of the tracks surprisingly enjoyable.
YGTBFKM! More Brit electronic bullshit. zero.
The coolest tracks of our first 200 albums.
The instrumental parts of this album are actually pretty enjoyable, but seriously – get the hell out of my ear Barry Adamson. Take your whistling nose-breathing somewhere else and stop calling women "girls" and Black men "boys". This is supposed to be a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, but it feels more like a soundtrack to Little Saint James between 1998 and 2019 whenever that whispering creep starts going again. "Miles" was an interesting version of Miles Davis' "Milestones" with a backbeat, but Davis still did it better. Interesting that Adamson copies the first part of Cannonball Adderley's solo from the original recording, but then goes on to make it the most square thing I've heard in a while. I'm serious, listen to the original and tell me it's not about 1000x better. Maybe if I didn't already dislike other parts of this album, I would be more forgiving of this sad masquerade of an attempt at jazz improvisation. To be clear, I don't have a problem with Adamson adding a cover of a pre-existing jazz tune to this album, it just feels like he's appropriating the song more than appreciating it by not even trying to make it sound like jazz anymore. The atmosphere created throughout this album is truly impressive. Seems like when Adamson sticks to what he does best he really can make a moving piece of art. "It's Business As Usual" and "Dirty Barry" genuinely creeped me out. "Achieved In The Valley Of Dolls" has a slick bass groove accompanied by some really tasteful "Rebel-Rouser" style guitar and record scratches. Couldn't help but think of Hannah Pilkes' "wise beyond her years" narrator Disney audition bit when listening to "Vermillion Kisses". "Petunia Tabernacle emerged from the castle with a young frog..." type of fairy tale hahaha
This album feels unhinged. Every time a new song starts I begin to question what all of the previous songs sounded like and how they could possibly relate to the current track. I like variety in an album, but this is too varied to the point of being disorienting. I will say I enjoyed probably more than half of the songs. When I heard Nick Cave singing on The Sweetest Embrace, that tipped the scales in a positive direction for me. I'm a big fan his singing voice and am looking forward to when we can rate some of his albums. It's Business As Usual is creepy af though and Vermillion Kisses is weird and also a bit creepy - I would happily never listen to those again. The overall vibe of most of the tracks really reminds me of the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, but I definitely prefer that album to this one. If I could watch the imagined movie that this is supposed to be the soundtrack for, maybe the songs would actually make sense together. I guess I'll never know.
This album was the most all over the place album I think I have ever listened to... Was like funk, then electro lounge then scary ambient music? Apparently they were writing this music for a movie soundtrack that didn't exist, but if the movie did exist, I am not sure it would be very good. Some of the songs had me grooving! Such as: Set the Controls For the Heart of the Pelvis (interesting song name lol), and Achieved in the Valley in the Dolls (Also weird song name). But as an album, there was no cohesion, no glue or transitions from song to song. Nothing to hold it all together, and I'm all for variation within an album, but the songs should flow into one another and make sense within their position in the album. Felt like you were trudging through a field of cacti when going from song to song, just harsh and kinda painful. As an album this kinda sucked, as individual songs, some were pretty decent, (except for the scary ambient shit lmfao). Idk... Interesting I guess, but will likely never listen to the album front to back again. 5/10
fun and eclectic concept album, good instrumentally, but the vocals and spoken word segments are not holding up their end. great instrumentation choices, love to hear vibes and sax in this sort of way
No tällasta ajoittaista hyvää mieltä mutta jazzahtavaa sellaista
Better n the other one, good producer ahh shit. Thr
This is my second Barry Adamson album. Other than the interlude about halfway through I think this is very solid. I enjoy the ominous feel.of.moat of the songs and like the hip hop style of many of the tracks. This is a well produced and well played album.
Acid jazz elektronisk agtig. Det lyder virkelig som sådan noget breakbeat/bigbeat blandet med jazzet lyde. Det var et mega godt album synes jeg. Det er åbenbart ment som et soundtrack til en "imaginær film". Nick cave er også med som står artist.
Some cool jazzy songs mixed with some LSD nightmares. I respect the weirdness
I dunno, man. I guess I don’t hate it like I hate other acid jazz/ trip hop/ edm nonsense. But why is this here? 4/10
Well, this was a real mix up of stuff, but I have to say I did quiet enjoy it, “ Vermillion Kisses” ans “Miles” we’re my 2 standouts, for very different reasons
Nah not for me.
wtf was that
Literally what the fuck was that?
Tedious, not even jarvis can save this
This feels like it should be on a late night compilation album commercial.
First song I get Jarvis Cocker moaning in my ear and then I get this jazzy lounge acid jazz thing. What. Ugh. One star get this out my ears. There’s nothing redeeming here. Kind of feels like DJ Shadow and indeed when reviewing Endtroducing I noticed it didn’t age that well and didn’t feel as fresh as it did. This is similar just with a much weaker starting point.
Really like nothing I’ve ever heard. Going to dig deeper
It was calming at times and it was weird at times. Overall, I’m not sure where to place it but I know I didn’t hate the entire experience so that’s something.
Lite gung, men mer för klubb?
Started with a couple of bangers, bit Adamson lost me halfway through. Nick Cave saved the day at the end
I reviewed Mr. Adamson’s Moss Side Story about six months ago, and I really didn’t care for it at all. Magazine’s Real Life is fantastic, but Adamson’s solo debut missed the mark with me, and instead of a soundtrack to a non-existent movie, it felt like a collection of generic songs without any story or mood. I don’t have particularly high hopes for this album, and seeing the name of Oedipus in the title doesn’t inspire hope in me either. Here’s hoping my last album of 1996 has some pleasant surprises in store for me. I’m pleased to say that Oedipus was much better than Moss Side Story. While this album wasn’t perfect, I liked how this one truly did feel like a soundtrack album. Despite the variation in style, the moods and atmospheres on this album gave it a cohesive feeling. The arrangements on this album were really good, and I think that the guest appearances by folks like Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave really boosted the sound of this album. Some of the songs on here were a bit boring, and others like “In A Moment of Clarity” felt redundant. As a whole though, this was a run and enjoyable album, and it was definitely unique. With this effort, I think Barry Adamson achieved what he set out to do. Some notes on the individual songs: The guitar and drums on "Set The Controls" were really cool, and the string arrangements were a beautiful touch as well. I really enjoyed hearing Jarvis Cocker on this song too. He’s got the perfect voice for a sound like this. “Something Wicked” has a really great atmosphere to it. I can definitely see why David Lynch used it in Lost Highway (I’ve never seen the movie, but this song has David Lynch vibes all over it). “The Vibes” is really great, and it reminds me of Tom Waits. I liked that xylophone sound, and the crowd noise made it feel like you're in a smoky lounge. The sense of place on this album is really strong so far. I'm usually more interested in melodies when it comes to music, but the rhythms here did a great job of helping establish the sense of place. The melodies were good too, but the rhythms were of particular note to me. “It's Business as Usual” was quite the experience. If I was supposed to be skeeved out by this song, mission accomplished. It's definitely not a song that stands well on its own, but it fits this album really well. “Miles” was really excellent. It was quite a shift from the previous song, but I liked the lighter tones and jazz structure. That little string arrangement that keeps coming back before each chorus was great, but the piano really stood out here. The bass playing was excellent, and this was my favorite song on the album. I liked the trip hop sound to “Valley of Dolls.” The backing vocals were great, and I really liked the catchy beat. Despite the different sound to this song, its sense of atmosphere made it feel right at home on this album. Overall, this album was very enjoyable to listen to, and I enjoyed its cinematic sound.
Some good compositions musically. Didn’t care for the vocals much. Overall kind of a downer. It’s meant as a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. From the sound of it a pretty depressing European art movie.
Yeah yeah sure ejaculation
1,2,3,7,8,10,11,12
Awesome
Odd and eclectic, which I love. At its core, the jazz bits are solid but ground it in a specific way that gives it a weird tension between being fully experimental and a solid jazz album.
Yeh fine, very different to anything youll probably listen to today
Agreed. Oedipus Schmoedipus. Call me when you got a real Freudian tale. Not this pedestrian tripe! Am I right? Literary majors?? Anybody? Well it’s certainly not a descriptor you could use to describe your humble reviewer. The only major thing I am is a major pain in the ass!! Am I right guys??!! Anyway. This is an instrumental hip-hop record with frequent sampling of an obnoxious, jazzy voiced pervert. At least to start. As much as the geniuses of the internet love instrumental hip-hop, I just don’t get it. To me, the rapping is such a major piece of hip-hop and to omit it in favour of samples (especially lousy, boring ones) seems to ruin the genre. Most of the time removing lyrics from hip-hop, takes a politically rooted cultural juggernaut and turns it into “chill beats 2 study 2” background music slop. Some of this record fits the latter description perfectly; however, there were some tracks and moments where I was intrigued (see “Business as Usual” or “Miles”), but mostly I would’ve just rather watched a horror movie, listened to actual jazz, or actual hip-hop. Why do I need all of those things done worse? Oh well. At least it’s weird and occasionally interesting enough to push it beyond the scourge of mediocrity. 2.5-3 HIGHLIGHTS: Business as Usual, Miles
It’s either spy film vibes, acid jazz, or some freaky free jazz. With some weird dialogue on.
This was freaky and groovy and all around a good time. Storybook section felt a bit out of place though.
Maaaaan the premise, lyrics and cover art is so fucking weird but the instrumental and arrangement is so good. I have to give it a 3 because if you tune out the strange parts its super good.
This was fun. I’m not sure if it’s one I’ll listen to very often, but this listen was certainly worthwhile.
The easiest way to describe Barry Adamson's 'Oedipus Schmoedipus' is that it feels like the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie that doesn't actually exist. The genres range from electronic lounge-pop, to noir tapestries that tap into Lynchian horror soundscapes. And also Jazz Fusion. It's difficult to categorize, which is probably what Adamson was going for all along. And then, towards the back half of the album, we're treated to some kind of "Sit down, children, it's demented fairytale story time!" with the track "Vermillion Kisses," a darkly comic cautionary fable about charm, deception, and self-destructive infatuation. The icing on the cake, however, is the penultimate track of "The Sweetest Embrace," in which Nick Cave lends his vocals to this song, which pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin of how really weird this experience has been. You're then quickly ushered out and exit the virtual theater you didn't realize you were in to begin with, scratching your head about whether you just had a strange vision, or you just witnessed one of the weirdest non-existent David Lynch films from 1996. The choice is yours.
This switches genres and vibes so quickly that I have no idea what the artist intended. It's unusual and absurd. Not garbage, but not great either
Nope
creepy schreepy
This is interesting (for a bit). A one time listen really. Production is good but none of the songs or compositions stick in the mind at all.
An album that lures you in with great funk and jazz, then punches you in the face every few tracks and proceeds to beat you to a pulp for the rest of the track. The opener is an irresistible funk groove until Jarvis Cocker comes in and makes everyone uncomfortable. Speaking of uncomfortable, practically everything on this album. Even the “normal” stuff has this air about it because you’re not sure when something unexpected is gonna kick in. I love weird music, which makes this album hard for me to rate because there’s great music and wild creativity, but so much of this is really hard to enjoy, but it probably wasn’t made to be enjoyed. It was made to make you feel uncomfortable. It accomplishes that very well. I’ll go in the middle. It may grow on me with time. 3/5
filmmusik ohne film, kollege von nick cave - ein bisschen verrückt muss man schon sein. cooles easy listening!
Lounge aber dann sowas?
es het nomel eis vo dem uf dere liste?? eigentli sött das es protest-1 geh. aber die erste zwei songs findi zimli geil leider. de song miles findi reeecht ass. smooth jazz aber komischs geplänkel als chords? weird. nai. cringe. dirty barry het wenigstens wieder mood und isch schräg und grusig, da chaner besser. scho nöd sol geil, aber mengmol halt so film noir ästhetik wo super passt. glaub mues es 2 sii.
poah ener weniger bock mmmmhh the vibes isch tatsächlich en vibe chan nöd behaupte, dass ichs würkli gnosse han aber SCHLECHT isches au nöd
Love all the different moods in this album, is like a movie in sound, don't love all the songs but the ones that hit are excellent
This album gave me anxiety.
This record was all over the place, In occasions had to check if it was still the same album. It had some bangers, other ones were nothing special. Felt like moving through a multiverse with constant changes of environments and ambientations. Worth the time.
Boy, this sure was a collection of music and sounds one might call an "album." Some of the music was decent enough to save this from being a 1, but this was overall a strange experience and not one I see myself returning to
Pretty interesting. Huge variety of genres in here. Lost me a bit in the middle but I liked it.
Cool and cinematic it sounds like a bridge between the Berlin Trilogy and Black Tie White Noise. All the cool of Cave but non of the Barnum over the top showsmanship. Something I am sure to return to.
Very cinematic, which I should have expected given David Lynch used some of his stuff. It's a pretty varied album of jazz, electronica, creepiness, and more, but it all feels like it belongs together.
Great album once again by Barry. Going with another 5
Made me feel depressed
3.8 really, interesting in places crap in others
Quite a strange record. Which may be explained by it being a soundtrack to a fictional movie. Overall I had a very hard time placing this album and understanding what space it restricted itself to. It really feels like it's all over the place. 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis' with some Pink Floyd reference had me expecting something along the lines of that song, but it totally is not. 'It's Business As Usual' is just a strange segway that doesn't really do much to me. Then you have some nice instrumental tracks like 'The Vibes Ain't Nothing But The Vibes, and 'Miles'. Then some more modern sounding electronic tracks like 'Achieved in the Valley in the Dolls'. And a small story in 'Vermillion Kisses'. I don't know... it was a journey for sure, but what is there to take away here really? Some musical pieces that are nice. But most of the runtime feel like filler material. Typical soundtrack pieces I suppose. But I want to listen to music, not sound effects and such. Weak 2.
Haven’t we already had an album that was composed to an imaginary film? I don’t know, like why would I listen to it? There are nice pieces here and there – I even enjoyed the spoken word on “The Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ but the Vibes”. I just don’t get why I would listen to it. It felt bloated and above all not that interesting. 2 star.
Here we go again, another record from this guy who can't get hired to make movie scores, so he makes his own for movies that don't exist. Just as in the other record of his on the list, it's fine with some good moments, but I don't even like real soundtracks, let alone imaginary ones
Wow! I don't know how I missed out on this one! First time hearing this & what a ride! Love all the funky, neo soul, jazz stuff. Plus the erie soundscapes makes this sound like a soundtrack to a movie I would definitely be into. Then here comes Nick Cave on vocals for The Sweetest Embrace. As beautiful as it is haunting.
2,4 - Klingt wie ein Soundtrack zu einem nie erschienenen Film. Dabei wechseln sich starke Songs mit Totalausfällen ab, die bei mir nur Stress auslösen. Highlights: Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Sweetest Embrace
Not a useful album. Not good, but not extremely bad either.
This album was incoherent and crazy. But good.
Certainly an interesting album, as its name suggests. It was very good at making me feel the emotions it wanted me to. I’ve never listened to anything like this; certainly interesting, but can’t say I loved it.
There are some albums like Thriller that are great because the songs are so good. I'm not thinking about any kind of broad album narrative when I listen to thriller, I'm just thinking about "Mama Say, Mama Sa, Mama Coosa". There are so many great songs on that album that I've no choice but to give it a high score. But then there are other albums that aren't like that. Some songs may be pretty good, but really what holds them together is the overall unitary piece that is the complete album. This is one of those. Not that I didn't like any of the songs; I was fascinated by tracks such as "It's Business As Usual", and of course Nick Cave on "Vermillion Kisses", and "The Sweetest Embrace". But I wouldn't want to listen to an album full of songs similar to any of these (except maybe the Nick Cave one). No, I'd much rather listen to the crazy, toxic, unhealthy, dysfunctional family that is the entire work as a whole. Favorite Track: It's Business as Usual
I really dug this one. Lots of variety, and good, captivating stuff. Added this to my library.
It was a very tantric psychedelic experience.
Hmmm
It’s great that people without rock star names can make records but maybe they shouldn’t.
Great album name, and great track names, sadly the substance isn’t really there. A killer opening track is not backed up by the rest of the album which is a real odd mix of elevator music and easy listening jazz! A few bright spots that could have made a great album, but alas, no.
Well starting an album off with Jarvis Cocker ‘having it off’ is very brave, possibly foolhardy and definitely ‘ick’. And it’s all downhill in terms of music and interest from there. Why on earth have we got two pretend soundtracks from this chap on the list. Waste of my time. Next….
music jeremy from peep show would make/listen to
Groovy. Like what a groove. Loungey funky jazzy. Would like to have a high-rise apartment in Chicago with a reel-to-reel for this. Seductive.
Like a very atmospheric film score. I could hear bits of other influences especially Nick Cave or Angelo Badalamenti. Overall, pretty cool and I lived The Sweetest Embrace. That song alone may have to go on repeat.
This was a bit of a roller coaster ride. I hated it in the beginning and almost turned it off. I’m glad I didn’t, because there was some cool stuff going on later. I got hints of The The at times and some Leonard Cohen.
Took me a few tracks before realizing we had heard another by Barry Adamson before. Memory tells me that landed with me more fully than this one, though "It's Business As Usual" was pretty arresting.
This was a nice surprise. Very cinematic, atmospheric, eccentric, and other -ics as well. Not every tune worked for me, but most of them did. The weirder and darker it got, the more into it I was. Not sure what that says about me, but I'm sure there an -ic that fits. (I may have to revisit Moss Side Story, as I gave that one a 2. Maybe I caught it on a bad day.)
I dig
Experimental lounge with samples and with jazzy vibes. A soundtrack to a stroll through Paris (never been there).
Loved some of this! But what in the world is it even made for? Boggles my mind a bit.
didn’t finish it… not my vibe at all. Apart from a loud beginning which doesn’t seem to really fit with the rest of the songs so far that i’ve heard. it kind of just noise, sounds like a score for a detective show. Overall 3.5-4/10
No sé qué acabo de escuchar, pero me pareció buenísimo. Quizás mucho género a la vez. La única cosa que podría decir malo. El álbum no se define. El resto, genial. 8/10
Crazy. NIN with funk and everything I. Between. Not sure how I’ve never heard of this person
Never heard of this artist. Cool stuff. I respect it. I see he does a lot of Lost Highway soundtrack, which I do enjoy.
Promising start then Jarvis Cocker comes in literally to gross everyone out. Wtf is this.
Just like his last one, this one was made for an imaginary film. Pretty solid album, overall. I will say 3.5 and round up because I enjoyed it from start to finish.
Wild ride... Imagine doing It's Buisness As Usual at karaoke night
This was a pretty cool album!! It's Business as Usual was very unsettling, but otherwise some cool tunes, a cool Nick Cave feature, and just an overall interesting unique album that sounds like something that belongs in this list (finally).
VERY weird, some of this was not bad though
Zweiter fiktiver Soundtrack, kann damit irgendwie nicht viel anfangen. Finde es jetzt aber auch nicht total kacke. Ich hoffe doch, dass dann hier mindestens noch 10 extrem gute Soundtracks von echten Filmen kommen..
Ich hatte zwischendurch überlegt, ob es aufgrund der ab und zu aufkommenden immerhin erträglichen Warteschlangenvibes für einen zweiten Stern reicht, aber in Summe ist das einfach zu viel Quatsch und vor allem der "Dialog" Richtung Ende war ein kompletter Fiebertraum im negativen Sinn.
Faszinierendes, sehr vielschichtiges Album. Hat mir auch nochmal deutlich besser gefallen als das andere Album auf der Liste. Und teilweise hört man hier schon sehr gut, wieso er von David Lynch für Lost Highway kontaktiert wurde. Richtige Horror-Vibes zum Teil.
Catcht mich gar nicht. Den (nicht vorhandenen - ha, jetzt recherchiert) Film kann ich mir nicht so gut vorstellen/reinfühlen.
Ich fühlte mich beim Hören negativ an den letzten fiktiven Soundtrack erinnert und die Recherche ergab: Das war der Mann hier auch schon. Mit dem Unterschied, dass das hier noch mehr langweilt. Schade aber immerhin wenige Lichtblicke
I had no idea what I was getting into when this started to play. I absolutely loved it. I'm going to be checking out the rest of his body of work.
Dope
Not great, Bob! Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis ★★☆☆☆ Something Wicked This Way Comes ★★☆☆☆ The Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ but the Vibes ★★☆☆☆ It’s Business As Usual ★☆☆☆☆ Miles ★★★☆☆ Dirty Barry ★★☆☆☆ In a Moment of Clarity ★★★☆☆ Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls ★★☆☆☆ Vermillion Kisses ★☆☆☆☆ The Big Bamboozle ★★☆☆☆ State of Contraction ★★☆☆☆ The Sweetest Embrace ★☆☆☆☆ Set the Controls Again ★★★☆☆ Average Album Rating: 2.0/5.0 ★★☆☆☆
Couple parts I enjoyed but they were few and far between. Overall not that good, 1.5/5
Most enjoyable backgrounds... please...
This was an interesting listen
Occasionally sounds like it is going to be good, and then turns to cheese.
This album started out pretty strong, but eventually for me lost steam. The instrumentals were very well made and the production for the first half kept me engaged, however towards the middle it began to lose me. It did however pick up a little towards the tail end The atmosphere of the album is probably my favourite aspect as it creates this very uneasy feeling, however this isn’t enough to sustain a 55 minute runtime. Somewhat enjoyable but will probably never return.
This somehow completely passed by not only my 16 year old self in 1996 but also the 30 years since. I really like it. Ambitious, cinematic neo-noir sounding like a film soundtrack. A lot of it is jazzy, some of it sounds a bit trip hop more in keeping with the times. Jarvis Cocker sings in the opener and Nick Cave drops in later on (I had actually heard that song before). I'd need to listen to this a couple more times, and I will.
I like this. Then it’s strange and boring. Then I like it. 🤷♂️. Also it gets docked a star for its length (too long)
The good/interesting slightly outweighs the bad/bizarre.
Great
Jarvis Cocker and/or Nick Cave could fart near an album and Robert Dimery would put it on this list
Interesting fusion
Erm guys? I now think that January 2026 might be my post punk homecoming month. Although this is not post punk but Barry played for magazine and nick cave. Both established post punk acts. And also before I started listening I was listening to some pulp and CAN YOU FUCKING IMAGINE HOW SHOCKED I WAS WHEN JARVIS COCKER APPEARED IN THE FIRST TRACK? I was like “oh hello jarv I was just thinking about you it’s nice that you turned up but also a shock”. I love his delivery he’s just the best at playing a horny guy. Also I’m fucking bad at imagining a film in my fucking little head it all came to me in snippets like some cowboy bebop title sequence. and hey, nick cave is also on this album too! hes good at sentimental ballads but i still think he can be a little darker. overall a strong 3.5/5.
i think i appreciate the concept of this album more than the album itself. i didn’t mind this at all, but i found it made for a pretty disjointed listening experience. tons of cool ideas here, but this music would be much more powerful if it was paired with a film, instead of being a standalone album.
This was weird. Not bad but very weird. Vermillion kisses was strange yet enjoyable.
Pretty good album and interesting
The first thing that struck me about Barry Adamson’s 1996 release was the title, "Oedipus Schmoedipus", it’s an immediate laugh. The second was the Primal Scream-style stomp of the opening track, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis." Its title, a cheeky pun on a classic Pink Floyd track, gave me a second laugh before the music even started. The album is built on a fascinating concept: a soundtrack to an imaginary film. It’s a dense, stylish cocktail of genres, blending Film Noir and Spy Jazz (reminiscent of 1960s thrillers) with Trip-Hop, Electronica, Lounge, and Soul. To bring this "film" to life, Adamson casts a series of collaborators to embody his characters. Jarvis Cocker perfectly channels a sleazy lounge singer on the opener, Nick Cave is a mourning balladeer on "The Sweetest Embrace", Billy MacKenzie delivers a haunting performance on "Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls" and Miranda Gooch, provides a theatrical narration on "Vermillion Kisses" that feels like a dark, twisted bedtime story. Ultimately, while "Oedipus Schmoedipus" is a bold concept delivered with immense skill, it isn't an album I see myself reaching for again in a hurry. It’s a singular experience; I’m glad I heard it, and even gladder that artists like Barry Adamson are brave enough to put work like this into the world. It's an intriguing three stars. No. Title 1 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis" (4/5) 2 "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (3/5) 3 "The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes" (3/5) 4 "It's Business as Usual" (3/5) 5 "Miles" (3/5) 6 "Dirty Barry" (3/5) 7 "In a Moment of Clarity" (3/5) 8 "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls" (4/5) 9 "Vermillion Kisses" (4/5) 10 "The Big Bamboozle" (4/5) 11 "State of Contraction" (3/5) 12 "The Sweetest Embrace" (4/5) 13 "Set the Controls Again" (4/5) Total - 45 Average - 3.46 203/1001 114/203 albums reviewed were new to me.
Why another Barry Adamson snooze-fest?! Why?! Soundtrack for a film that, yet again, doesn't exist. Nothing to say about this album other than it's a load of nonsense. Highlight was track 1 with Jarvis Cocker impersonating Austin Powers.
Det var noe bra der. Virker som en blanding av klipp og lim hvor det er lagt på ekte instrumenter med egen komposisjon. Så var det noe merkelig vokal greier de smørte på.
Serviceable background music with a solid ambiance that has no right being in this list. Nothing about this record is so interesting or unique that it warrants a spot on such a list. If you can stand to peel back this albums layers, there's some surprises that keep the listener going for just long enough. "The Vibes Aint Nothin But The Vibes" was almost cool enough to pique my interest, in a literal sense. Very cunning and imaginative. But still ultimately not that captivating. But then "Its Business As Usual" just came off as trite and forced. The dark and spooky voicemail was so forced. Same with "Vermillion Kisses". "In A Moment Of Clarity" is my pick from the record, a strangely serene and slightly new-agey chiller. Also, was that Nick Cave on "Sweet Embrace"?? This one didn't hook me. I hear some appeal, the grizzly loungey quality of it. But it didn't execute well, imo. JUST creeps into 3/5 territory but man it took a lot out of me to get through
A little weird
The further away the ‘90s get the weirder they seem (in a good way). This album is all over the place and I kind of love it for that. I bought and enjoyed this album in late ‘90s when I was really into Nick Cave (Barry was in Nick’s band for a bit). My biased past self wants to give this album 5 stars, but my current self admits there are enough weak and dated elements in the album to dial my rating back to a 4.
I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it BUT I wanted to like it more than I did and I was worried it was going to be something I wouldn’t like but I saw who he’d worked with so I was like ooh okay yeah yeah sure but then it wasn’t exactly what I thought but not the bad outcome either so I guess what I am trying to say is it was just fine.
I kind of liked it, but only kind of
I definitely vibe with this one. The creepiness and the chilling atmosphere never left, but the album never got stale
Interesting but not very good
wow. Why exactly did I need to hear this?
What a lovely surprise, thank you!
Bizarre. I would maybe revisit this, but I don’t know when. I didn’t hate it, but it was really all over the place. Mostly cool sounding, but it doesn’t really pull me in.
An even mix of music I really don't like and music I like even less. 1 star or F.
After listening to this I’d say, The Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ But the Vibes.
Making a soundtrack to an imaginary movie once is a cool concept. Doing it twice comes off as desperate.
Pretty sure I’ve heard more than one of these songs while on hold with the bank. Some of the jazzier stuff is ok
I love that albums and projects like this exist. It's a fascinating artistic decision to soundtrack a film that doesn't exist. It certainly feels quite cinematic in places. I’d always liked ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ from the Lost Highway soundtrack, and other tracks feel like they could appear in other films. I really like the vibraphone in the third track (I always like the vibraphone). It always gives off a sense of someone being lost, or otherwise alone in a big world. Elsewhere there's some dark tracks and some chill, musical tracks, as well as some guest cameos by interesting artists. Some tracks are superb and are really expansive. However, it does go a bit weird in the middle for a few tracks and isn't particularly fun to listen to. A little bit inconsistent overall. Overall though, this was a nice find. I like this guy's style! 3.5 rounded up.
enjoyable when you need chill background music but want it to be just a little bit peculiar :)
I liked this a little more than the last Barry Adamson album we had. A pretty solid three; like the last, I suspect it could go higher with repeated listens.
Was this jazz? Was this electronica? Was this spoken word? I don't know. I do know that I did not enjoy it one bit.
Ok, why on earth did the generator give me this guy's other album and then this back to back? It would be fine if the other one was good, but it wasn't. Anyway, once I finally got around to listening, I found that this album was very different to Moss Side Story. It replaces the dark, shady feel of Moss Side with a hotel lounge atmosphere, with a similarly jazzy sound. It has more turntable scratches and other electronic elements than Moss Side, and is overall better. However, it's still far from a great album. The fake movie soundtrack gimmick is dumb, and I don't think either album is essential listening.
Coldplay left me well, cold
This album does average out with some interesting and creative background songs, mixed with some very few mumbling duds. There certainly has been a lot of creativity in the creation of this album.
I dunno quite what to think of this, it's like a mashup of jazz, a bad Pink Floyd album and PS2 demo disc menu music
What a weird experience. Loved it, definitely gonna listen again.
A very cool and weird album that I could write a lot about if I had more time today. Maybe I'll come back and do so later.
Such a weird album. Each track felt like the audio track from a David Lynch film. Complete with the actors voices. If artst-fartsy music turns you off, don't bother.
Im Vergleich zu Moss Side Story souliger, freundlicher und dadurch wsl auch zugänglicher. Zugänglichkeit bewerte ich grundsätzlich eher als Minus denn als Plus, merke ich gerade. Ich schätze, es ist zu nah an „langweilig“ und „berechenbar“. Aber hier gibts einen mit Dark Jazz und Lounge verschmolzenen Trip Hop zu hören, den ich bis auf Weiteres als einmalig abspeichere. Und mit Langeweile und Berechenbarkeit hat das Album in meinen Ohren nix am Hut. Barry Adamson bleibt für mich die Entdeckung dieser Liste ❤️
Zwischendurch immer wieder interessant, aber mich hat der sehr stockende Fluß des Albums gestört.
6/10
This is a very silky, smooth, dark, highly sexual, weird album. It's not nearly as weird as everyone in the other reviews make it out to be. The fake movie soundtrack gimmick is what makes it weird. It was surprisingly jazzy.
This started high for me but plummeted as the album went on. Just kinda weird honestly
1,9/5
hearing jarvis cockers voice on the first track startled me a bit. but love the percussion and guitar on it. overall i think this is juuuust fine
The music isn't horrible at times (but mostly is), but then there's the voice over and the laugh track and ugh. Way more moaning than is needed or wanted. We have this included, but not Neutral Milk Hotel. 2/5 because there's a track or two that are ok.
Well props for executing on pretty out there ideas. None of it feels to fresh, even in the 90s, but I'm glad folks are taking swings like that.
An interesting listen.
Must not have been in the right mood for this.
An interesting album conceptually, but the lack of guidance means the interpretation of it as a soundtrack can be somewhat scattered
A weird blend of jazz and dark ambiance. The whole album is paced weirdly. Listening to a soundtrack for a movie that doesn’t exist doesn’t feel right
This cinematic noir-jazz collage—with brooding bass lines, tremulous strings, smoky horns, and theatrically deadpan vocal interjections—unfurls like wandering through a dim, neon-lit alley full of intriguing clues but also long stretches of stylish shadow where the mood matters far more than the destination.
Temu modern-age James Bond soundtrack. I'd rather listen to 55 mins of the Goldeneye 007 pause music.
It got better near the end
Quite good surprise
If nothing else, this album is interesting. I would even say schizophrenic. I'm not sure it fits a single style-- Wikipedia labels it as "art rock". It's kind of avant-garde-lite, jazzy, cinematic. I'd even say Lynchian in the way Adamson often contrasts happier and innocence musical styles and instruments against darkness and depravity. This of course isn't a stretch to notice since the two collaborated together, and "Something Wicked Things Way Comes" (which is probably my favorite song here) appears in Lost Highway. He incorporates industrial, metallic sound effects and backwards looping in tracks like "Dirty Barry", and "In a Moment of Clarity" sounds like it could've been directly from Twin Peaks. Ultimately I'm struggling to find "the point" of the album. I'm not sure there is a unifying theme here (and I even begin to have a crisis wondering if every album really needs a theme?) and what I'm supposed to be taking away from it all. Perhaps that is intentional. But this sort of psychoanalytical obfuscation is a difficult trick to pull off, and Adamson isn't David Lynch. There is a stretch of songs, from "Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls" to "Vermillion Kisses" to "The Big Bamboozle" which I felt were too pretentious, too exhausting, and I just wanted to move on from them. But it suddenly picks up again with "The Sweetest Embrace" which is essentially just a Nick Cave song, and is great but is not like anything else on the album. He also collaborates with Jarvis Cocker on the very first track "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis", which is tonally very different from everything else. There is also a reprise of this to bookend the album, which doesn't really add anything, and just confuses me again as to what the theme is supposed to be. So, there is just a sort of whiplash here between songs-- is this a comedy or drama or horror, what am I supposed to feel? This might be better on subsequent listens as there is a ton stuffed in here. I liked quite a bit of moments, but overall it was not cohesive enough.
Je suis plus avenant envers Barry Adamson en raison de ses liens avec Nick Cave. Bassiste du début des Bad Seeds (et aussi de Magazine que j'aime pas mal). Je n'ai pas investigué là-dessus mais j'imagine qu'il y a un effet d'influence sur l'activité de création de bandes sonores de Nick Cave et de Warren Ellis.
Wow! Envoûtant ! Ça groove des places, clins d'oeil trip hop à droite à gauche, ambience jazzy/mystérieuse. Des narratifs bien construits (Vermilion Kisses, vraiment une drôle de twist) Ça va rouler ici ça !
Intéressant. C’est décrit comme la soundtrack d’un film fictif qui n’existe que dans la tete de l’artiste. Je peux comprendre! Ça m’a surtout fait du bien d’entendre la douce voix de Nick Cave pour la première fois dans ce projet. Justement le Barry a une feuille de route drôlement bien remplie avec notamment une longue passe avec les Bad Seeds. À quand notre premier album d’eux?!?
1001 greatest albums of all time? It's an interesting score for a film that doesn't exist - will likely forget all about it when it finished.
Vaya locura de disco. No sé describirlo. Me ha encantado.
This is pleasant. Good music for working. Probably not a surprise as it's meant to be a soundtrack to a film that was never made. Enjoyable, if not demanding much attention.
Seems like a delicious interesting and confusing when ı heard first songs seems like a fascinating but almost every songs multilayer and it made me tired
Well, well, well. Let's say that I was glad when the music finally stopped. Weird and boring at the same time.
Too Big Band/Bond/Jazz for me.
Jazzy Recognized one song James bondy
This is wildly forgettable at best. It's not interesting musically, even though it's trying desperately to be.
Once it got past the first track it was actually enjoyable.
They really didn’t need two of these albums on the list, but this is the better of the two.
Liked Miles. Perhaps a tribute to Miles Davis. Hated It's Business as Usual. Instrumentals I liked; a lot of vocals I didn't.
I ended up liking this album far more than I thought I would.
Wow, I didn't expect to like this so much, never heard of barry adamson but I'm glad I listened to this
out of all of the 90s DJ music, this is probably the most interesting. I had a good time grooving with this one! It was weird and interesting. Lots of cool movements and jazz focussed grooves. I'm certain I'll never revisit, but I think I get why this is beloved. Its also very horny.
A ride of brilliance of weird music mixing together. Feels like you're into a movie, but your're not. And yet..
Love it. Fun discovery. Right in my wheelhouse of dark, jazzy Lynchian trip hop.
This is what a love about the album generator! Never heard of this before, an imaginary soundtrack and as I listened I imagine the movie it could fit to- amazing! First listen I’ll give it a 4 but it could be a keeper and become a 5!
Pretty cool collection of songs, but a bit weird and creepy for me right now. Not very coherent and consistent. Creepy jazz trip hop?
Schrott
I'm not sure what to say about this very unorthodox album. I read that he intended it to be like a soundtrack/score to a movie that was never made or something like that. I think it's mostly a success on those terms. But as a standalone album is kinda meh. I'll give it a 3 I guess. 3/5
задумка интересная... но в плане музыки не впечатлен особо.
It's OK. This stuff sounded really cool in the mid-90s but I'm not sure the aesthetic is valued so much today.
later
Nenhuma música com números gigantes no Spotify, vamos ver o que vem. A música mais famosa é instrumental praticamente... qual a pira desse álbum... A vibe da (fui pesquisar o nome e é Vibes Ain't Nothing But Vibes kkk) é boa. Parece cena de filme. É uma parada bem experimental, quero pesquisar o que é depois. Eita bicho, sexo kkkk. Fui pesquisar, é isso mesmo, era pra ser tipo uma trilha sonora pra um filme que não existe. Vou dar 2 estrelas pela ideia e por que é bem feito, mas eu não curti muito.
Que doideira é essa mano? Álbum esquisito da porra. Cada faixa é uma loucura diferente. Uma dúvida que ficou pairando na minha cabeça é "pra que que serve esse álbum?". Porque ninguém vai pegar o vinyl, colocar na vitrola, sentar e ficar ouvindo isso. Bagulho mó aleatório. Pra não dizer que foi de todo ruim, tiveram umas 2 ou 3 músicas com uma vibe bem bacaninha, admito. Meio jazzinho e tals. A primeira tem uma vibe legal também, mas é estragada pelas vozes estranhas e aleatórios ao longo dela. Com certeza 2 estrelas. Não chega a merecer 1 que nem aquele lixo lá, mas 3 já é demais também.
Kind of strange, kind of creepy, kind of disturbing, kind of creative, kind of good.
Just incredible
It's fine. I read that it was written as the soundtrack for a movie, and it sounds like it. The tracks aren't that enjoyable independently, but it's fun to imagine how they might be used as background in a movie (or just used as background while you go about your day). too much moaning
Not sure what the plot of this fake movie was, the soundtrack was all over the place.
I actually loved this. The style, concept and composition were really entertaining. Minus one star because “It’s Business As Usual” made me want to actually throw up. The artist should definitely get a psych evaluation but I dig music that’s a bit unhinged.
At the start I was like this is good cooking music. I can see the jazz influences in art rock. 2nd track was a vibe for chopping. Then 3rd track sounded spy-movie-like. AND THEN 4th was kinda freaky (like horror movie freaky). And 5th happier. 6th some jazz. Miles Davis *did* write that track, so makes sense. Never know what to expect on this album now… Track 7 now, “In A Moment Of Clarity”, and wow I realized I like jazz now. Wow good job 1001 albums list
I find soundtracks generally aren't good to listen to, so I had low expectations for a soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist. I was not disappointed. I am vaguely glad I listened, because it was some kind of an experience, and it had some minor highlights here and there.
Lejm, dosta lejm. 2/5, 3/10
Fantastic! Somehow never came across this before.
See my notes for "Moss Side Story". I found this album to be a similar experience, but with a more meandering feel, making it less convincing to me even as an imaginary movie soundtrack.
Hm, Barry Adamson... what is this, gospel? oh nope. Okay this has potential. That's kinda cool. A soundtrack to an imaginary film and the second track appeared on Lost Highway. Oh yes, I know Something Wicked This Way Comes!
"Jack of all trades; Master of none" feels apt here, not least because the album starts with this freak jacking it like an animal. Pick a fuckin lane Barry, jesus christ.
Weird, freaky, jazzy. I enjoyed it a lot.
3 very interesting vibe
I believe that this album is different from all the others we’ve heard so far. Maybe that’s the reason it was included on the list. There isn’t much singing here, although there is a fair amount of talking and storytelling. The music is quite good, but sometimes is obscured by the talk/noises. The music feels like something you’d hear in a nightclub or from a movie soundtrack.
Never heard of this, but!, I was just talking about s(c)hm-reduplication in class last week, so it's nice to see it appear In Real Life (with the trademark dismissive connotation - something most of my students have reportedly never heard). Now in a way, aren't all albums conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film? This particular imaginary film doesn't seem very good though. Like, it's not quite a musical, but surely way too much singing for a non-musical. Maybe the soundtrack to Emilia Pérez? I don't want to be too much of a hater, because I like Atticus Ross. But I don't think this is his best work. Some nice atmospheric bits, but also some "what are we doing here" bits, and that goes for both halves of the album. I do like the variety of vocalists. Highlight: 'Achieved in the Valley of Dolls'
A pretty good album, I liked Set The Controls for The Heart Of The Pelvis and Miles the most.
I thought this was quite interesting, felt much more contemporary than it is
Nice
I read about this before I listened because old never heard of it. From what I read I assumed I would hate it. But I actually loved it.
atmospheric
This record is more a work of art than it is a pure musical album. I was thoroughly entertained and enthralled. The songs and soundscapes are gripping and sometimes uncomfortable. But they almost always evoke a mental image. Really entertaining.
This is weird but really compelling. Sounds like a nightmare that emerges from moments of pleasant dreams. It's super moody, concept heavy, wildly skilled production stitching together a dizzying array of genres. It feels at times detached and then downright menacing, whispering insane shit in your ear. I dont know if you would listen to this for pleasure but it's strong. Guitar tracks on this sound v much like frusciante so points for that too
There's something for everyone on this album. No, really! Jazz, spoken track, James Bond theme rip-off, Jazzercise and trip-hop. This is a weird album and while I try to figure if I like it or hate it, I have to wonder why its on this list because this Swiss cheese type of tracklist makes no sense to me. 2.5/5
Ścieżka dźwiękowa do filmu, którego nigdy nie będę chciała obejrzeć. Chaotyczna, ciągnąca się w nieskończoność. Przeplatana jakimiś dziwnymi monologami. Zbyt eksperymentalna dla kogoś takiego jak ja. 3/10
Sorry but that was wank
I was alive and listening to other Mute records when this came out but I don’t know what this is and it’s not anything I want to hear again.
That’s Nico on the cover with her son.
3.5. a really good, interesting soundtrack to an imaginary film.
I found this pretty boring.
I thought that this was going to another of those random mediocre English artists this author is so fond of. However this was pretty interesting. I didn’t like it all but some of it was pretty decent. 2.5
Dark at times
least favorite of the three I listened to today, it was okay but then had some random spoken word moments
Drôle d’album, mais intéressant. La deuxième toune a été utilisée dans le film Lost Highway, alors elle fonctionne un peu moins dans le contexte de l’album parce que je suis tellement habitué de l’entendre dans un autre contexte, mais le reste des pièces est tout aussi intéressant. Il y a beaucoup d’ambiances différentes et de belles trouvailles musicales.
I love Magazine - and I sure as shit hope they end up on this list if this record is here - so I was intrigued to see what this is all about. After listening to it twice, I'm still not sure. It's not really all that coherent as an album, incorporating different elements from trip-hop to lounge-y jazz. The conceit is that its a soundtrack to a fake film, and there are definitely some tracks that pull that off such as the extremely creepy "It's Business As Usual" or the opening "Set The Controls For the Heart of The Pelvis." But on the whole its not really a connected album, and too many of the tracks don't really work.
The Good: Excellent album name! The Bad: Awful album cover… The Ugly: a schmoedipus… is ugly… Reading comments from other folks, it seems that most are a little upset that they are listening to a soundtrack of an imaginary movie… why? Not knowing what to think, I have been pleasantly surprised by the album. I can’t recall any of the songs, but having this play on the background made the day go by faster, and that is always a good thing. Though the album might not be worth more than 3*, I will splurge one additional star just because I know that I will want to listen to this album again at some point. Good on ya Barry 4*
interesting cool vibes never heard of this guy
Never ever heard of this. Great title for an album but this wasn’t for me. Don’t get it.
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Some really chill some scary
Some good tracks, but not cohesive and a bit annoying to boot
nice?!
Weird elevator music, couldn't finish the full album
Mjööög skemmtileg plata. Algjört rugl. Þrennan sem vinnur með honum geggjuð. Útum allt en samt heildstætt verk.
Barry er mjög áhugaverður og þetta var mjög áhugaverð plata. Alls konar stefnur og stílar. Jarvis og Nick krydduðuð þetta líka vel. Skemmtilegt þegar listann kynnir mann fyrir einhverju nýju sem er í rauninni gott.
If I had to sum up this album, I’d call it a trip hop jazz noir soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. The one thing that remains consistent throughout is its cinematic nature. It fully embraces the feel of a soundtrack, but without the visuals. Some parts reminded me of 90s trip hop and the funky big beat movement from the 90s era electronic scene. Other moments lean into quiet, spoken word segments, evoking imagery of a jazz band playing in the corner of a dark, smoke filled lounge, slowly building toward dramatic, big band style climaxes. It’s a really cool album, and I liked it a lot, but I will say it starts to feel a bit long toward the end, almost like it’s dragging. Still, it’s a cool listening experience and one of the more unique albums I’ve heard recently.
Some very strange songs but overall it was decent overall l. Some surprisingly strong tracks. Brought down by one 7 minutes track that was mainly atmospheric noises.
Decent.
Get's off to a really great start, with a Jarvis guest vocal spot creating a tremendously atmospheric opening track (with, let's get real here, a stupid name). From there, it's up and down to be honest, sometimes good weird and sometimes just weird. Barry Adamson, by the way, is one of Moss Side's finest, and that's probably gained him some marks, because I've grown to love the place dearly.
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis
I think I liked this more than Moss Side Story. The Nick Cave song was pretty good and it was at least interesting the whole way through. I just don’t think I will revisit it. Favorite songs were Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Sweetest Embrace.
This album was trying something and I think it absolutely went way over my head. No idea what theme or feel it was going for. It was creepy at times, jazzy at times, then there was a fairytale? I had such whiplash I didn't actually listen to the tale. I think this may just really not be for me. I tried looking up this album to see what warranted its presence on this list, but wasn't able to find any influence it may have had on any genre or people. Overall, I did enjoy the occasional noire feel it had and it being near Halloween may have done it favours for me, other than that, though this was an odd one for sure. Oh! and I absolutely did not enjoy the suggestive sounds that were in the first track, I did not need that in my ears while at the office.
This guy needs a new line of work. Fake soundtracks to fake films can’t possibly pay the bills.
I enjoyed this surprisingly
Great album title. The songs titles are a little odd but mostly stick with the "riffing" theme (particularly the opener, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis). I don't really know what to make of the album as a whole – some parts are great, others are questionable at best – so I'm sticking with 3 stars. Being a former member of Nick Cave's band, Barry Adamson revisits a few of the same musical techniques, particularly with the singing (melodies, intonation, song structure). The opening track is essentially a mid-length jam session. The riff is placed, oddly, in the violin part. The whole ensemble is sort of post-disco, particularly that swanky guitar sound in the back. It's honestly a pretty fun sound. Better, anyway, than most of the Moss Side Story record. The next song, Something Wicked This Way comes, has essentially the same song structure (or lack thereof). Again it's a 5-minute, two-chord jam session with various instruments taking the spotlight before relinquishing it 30 seconds later. (The sax verse about halfway through is undeniably great.) Not that there's anything wrong with these kinds of tracks, but starting your album with two in a row is an... interesting choice. And track 3, again pretty similar: barring the unsettling ASMR vocals, the track kind of drags on, never really picking up steam (but still sounding fairly good). The good news: we get some very different-sounding tracks after the opening trio. The bad news: it sucks (with a few exceptions). Songs like Dirty Barry and It's Business as Usual are undeniably noise-for-the-sake-of-noise – and fairly grating, at that. They kind of remind me of disc 11 from Minecraft. State of Contraction/The Sweetest Embrace is fantastic – easily beating the other tracks to become the strongest one here. It actually has proper singing and a rock-solid instrumental to back it up! (Zoinks!) The synth and the low vocal harmonising are two big highlights here. Along with the soft strings, it's a fitting song for Halloween. 3/5 Key tracks: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Sweetest Embrace
I think this is an interesting concept album, and I like the way it was written. I wish I liked listening to it.
Mostly jazz with a little bit of the gruesomeness.
I don't think i was expecting this but i really enjoyed Oedipus Schmoedipus. I already listened to Moss Side Story prior to this but i still was not expecting this to be another soundtrack for an imaginary film. These songs still feel like they would fit a detective film just like Moss Side Story but i like the ones here more because they just have so much more to them. The songs here could be groovy, ominous, even funny (like with Vermillion Kisses). Every song here just had something different on offer and they were mostly executed very well. This album did unfortunately get docked a star due to Dirty Barry but i still really loved this album. Best Song: Achieved in the Valley Of Dolls Worst Song: Dirty Barry
Favorite Track: Miles
Absolument aucun intérêt.
I like the idea of scoring a fake movie, I like a lot of the creepier tracks, but the interim songs leave me flat. 3/5
This was an odd one for me. I thought I would hate it but I never did. I thought I would get tired of it, but I never did. I was never into it, but I liked some songs more than others. All in all, nice background music, would listen again.