Reviews (page 8 of 8)
A very experimental kind of jazz music, too experimental.
As I was listening I was imagining what this fake film is about, letting the music run my imagination. It was quite fun.
Emotional rollercoaster. 4 Holy shit this is one unique album. I love it. Though some songs give me that bad 90s film feeling that I also get when seeing that DVD-ad: "You wouldn't download a car", I think it more than makes up for it with eeriness and diversity. "Vermillion Kisses" hit me like a train. 5
10/10 album full of so many different moods, it can be dark and tense or fun and upbeat just such a great work of art overall
🤔 It was interesting.
Its true what they say... don't judge a book by its cover. For some reason I had high hopes for this and it was the opposite of my expectation. Despite a couple good jazz vibes, my ears want an hour of their life back.
Didnt know what to expect when this came up but I was excited to see Atticus Ross as a contributor! Upon playing I realized I was familiar w some of Barry's work from the Lost Highway soundtrack. Had a good time listening to this - will revisit!
2/5
Jeff Goldblum talking over elevator jazz, interspersed with audio recordings from Silent Hill. Interesting, bit too weird.
Interesting, mad, all over the place
Nuts in a good way
So glad this popped up. Never heard of the guy before, now this album is in my playlists. Brilliant stuff
A breath of fresh air, as far as versatility is concerned. However, despite some brilliance throughout, a lot of the stuff is also way too much "out there" for me to conclude this is a truly excellent piece of art. No doubt manny would disagree with me in that.
This didn’t really do anything for me
1996 - Genre: Alternative/Indie (jazz, beat, hip-hop)
wowwwww!!! I had never heard of this artist, album, or any of these tracks before. This is most definitely an Elaine album. Weird, sometimes MJQ, sometimes frightening. Eclectic. Spotify played Badalamenti’s Dance of the Dream Man (from Twin Peaks) right after. All you really need to know.
Strange mix of songs. I'm also mortified that a bass player would try to make a bass sound like it. It sounds like General Midi on Miles(tones). Jarvis, while a national treasure is a creepy man. I don't like him ejaculating out of my headphones.
Badipus Schmobadipus
Some interesting ideas, but really not for me at all. Only the fact it is well done saves it from 1 star.
Lacks any sort of identity or coherence... which is a shame as some solid music in there, but just no sort of flow...
Lost 4 stars off the bat with Jarvis Cocker in full sex pest mode. Music is catchy in spots so redeems it slightly.
A brilliant surreal genre defying album. Part sleazy lounge music, part funk, part jazz - will be back for more
A few memorable tracks, but a lot of it just felt like background music
Nice and annoying in equal measures
Some interesting, excellent tracks. A couple of tracks unlistenable
Cinematic, quite Portishead. I bet they took notes.
Pretty weird. The instrumental stuff was fine but the singing parts were a little too much for me
Yes, but is it art?
Barry Adamson's third album released in 1996, is filled with lounge / soul jazz music. It's an interesting album because I have not heard music like this before. It sounded dark and melancholy. One song was literally an audiobook short story. This man is either crazy or a genius, and I guess I would have to listen to more of his music to figure out which he is. However for this album, I don't need to listen to it again.
Not sure why the list compiler's fascination with this guy
Really enjoyed listening to this excellent album. I am familiar with Adamson's work only through his band Magazine, which did not prepare me at all for the music on this album. Full of funky rhythms, jazzy flourishes and a huge sound. Check out the Big Bamboozle for Ellington style big band jazz. 4 🌟
Cool.
To much crowd noises.
Bien aime, ca commence fort, pour tomber dans le bizarre et finir fort. Jazzy et experimental on dirait parfois. 4
Meh.
Previous to today, I cannot say that I have heard of Barry Adamson. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pretty hooked from track 1. The middle section of the album got a bit dark for my tastes (especially 'It's Business As Usual', the stalker-y answering machine piece), but I'll give it a pass being that it's spooky season. Speaking of spooky... I enjoyed the sample of Spooky on Something Wicked This Way Comes. Overall, I probably won't listen to this again as a full album, though I do intend on adding some of the tracks to my 'Music To Work To' playlist. This was a fun find for me. Smug side note. 'In A Moment Of Clarity' was reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks score, so I was right chuffed to find that not only is Badalamenti listed as a similar artist to Barry Adamson, but Adamson also contributed to the score of David Lynch's Lost Highway.
Thank you 1001 albums generator for answering the question, "What is worse than listening to jazz?" "Hold my beer, John Cage, I've got to compose the soundtrack to Fear and Loathing in Dystopian Web 1.0." The spoken word stuff was alright, though.
This album, in particular, reminds me of this group of LoDo nightclubs (not dance clubs but lounges), which opened in the early 2000s, done by this interior designer I was friends with. The designer would proudly invite some friends to attend the grand openings for VIP tables and comped bottle service. I would spend the requisite time there, covering my free yet overpriced vodka drink whilst wondering how much longer I had to listen to the bad music and some Chad in a jewel-toned button down telling me about his struggle to pass the real estate exam or his job in finance while telling me how much he liked the music. This is not a cohesive album, more just a collection of tracks. And the transitions between them are non-existent. Each song is a jarring new sound. Add in the weird talking over the grating electronic sounds followed up by some jazz, this album is a hard no for me.
Not my jam
A fever dream of an album - more than a few listens are necessary to fully explore the nooks and crannies here
Felt like elevator music to me.
gee wonder why David Lynch hired this guy
Possibly the best part of the trilogy of soundtracks for movies which don't exist albums. Set the Controls... is a particular highlight.
Calming, unintrusive, chill out good background for socials.. cafe del mar meets miles Davis
Struggled a lot to finish this one, skipped within the tracks quite a bit and did not miss anything because in most of the tracks everything has been said by the second 40. Unbearable cringy at times, it fits a lot with so many of the records in the list that are there not for their artistic value but because they're weird. It grabs a second air with “In a Moment of Clarity” but soon sinks again in its repetitiveness and huge self-awareness.
Weird in not in good way
I'm not enjoying this, not really even as background.
interesting vibes hmm
Pretty good, must revisit.
weird
Mmh...
Some white noise, which was good Rest was less
Really enjoyed listening to this excellent album. I am familiar with Adamson's work only through his band Magazine, which did not prepare me at all for the music on this album. Full of funky rhythms, jazzy flourishes and a huge sound. Check out the Big Bamboozle for Ellington style big band jazz. 4 🌟
- sexy, silly, - low key, mellow - interesting and mildly out there
I don't really understand what this album is about or for. It is really just free-form art put into a "listenable" state, so most of the songs exist just for the sake of existing.
better than others but some songs really take away from the album as a whole. I appreciate the milestones cover. cool and lounge-y overall.
really interesting to listen to, and a nice mixed bag
The most eclectic mix of genres and styles that I've ever heard. Never would I mix spoken word with disco tunes with jazz(?)-like structures. It's not something I'm ever going to listen to again either despite its interesting composition.
Whether I like this or not seems to depend greatly on my mood. In a good mood, I am absolutely willing to put up with this record’s BS. Not so much if I’m annoyed, which is a bad thing for this album because I’ve mostly been listening while driving. It’s a joke album and the joke isn’t funny, really. Favourite track: “The Vibes Ain’t Nothing but the Vibes” (get it, because it’s a vibraphone . . . ugh)
A new artist and new music for me. Most of the tracks got an "okay" rating from me (3 stars). "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis" would get a second listen from me (4 stars), but "It's Business as Usual" and "Vermillion Kisses" were oddities that got a firm "I don't like this" (1 star). I'm not sure if the two bad tracks can sink the whole album. I guess I'll give the album an "okay" (3 stars).
Simultaneously groovy, clever, funny, surreal, and odd. Super interesting!
This is interesting. Parts of it remind me of instrumental versions of some of the stuff U2 was doing in the 90s, or some of Bowie’s weirder stuff. Parts of it remind of music from David Lynch shit, which makes sense since he did some music for Lost Highway. I don’t hate it, and appreciate it for the influence it most likely had on some stuff I like, but I’m not sure I’d listen again.
Terrible title. That’s the first thing off the checklist. I think there’s a fine line to be walked with this ‘atmospheric beats’ sort of music, and I can’t quite put my finger on when it does work and when it doesn’t, but… this wasn’t it.
Not for me
It's pleasant. It's unchallenging. It's not even one of the 2,002 albums you must listen to before you die.
Need to listen again but there were some interesting songs but also just some oddballs
An amazing mix of good and horrible songs.
Interesting album; some nice Primal Scream esque grooves and abstract storytelling. Favourite song is 'The Sweetest Embrace' sung by Nick Cave.
Opening 3 tracks are good and groovy but then it descends into an assortment of tracks for film soundtracks with no connecting threads. Glad I stuck with it as Nick Cave popped up on 'the sweetest embrace'. No idea who Barry Adamson is/was but what a career he's had.
The vocals were very weird, but overall the music was good
Some great jams counterbalanced by some absolutely bat shit ones. Best track: Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis
A confusing album. Some nice electro jazz mixed with some weird conversational rants and letters. The Jarvis Cocker, heavy breathing, opening track was also not what was needed at 7:15am. Best track: Miles.
A really different and interesting album. I feel like I would get a lot from from this album with more listens. Would definitely revisit
Very atmospheric album, some great compositions, and also lots of crazy weird stuff. I enjoy the variety while still maintaining a sort of mysterious vibe throughout.
A strange album that fitted my Sunday mood. Definitely revisit.
A brilliant surreal genre defying album. Part sleazy lounge music, part funk, part jazz - will be back for more
Like his other album, it's a great concept that still feels out of place to me on this list. I enjoyed listening to this, but definitely rated his first album too low - that one was better Saved: The Big Bamboozle
Saved Prior: None *Since this is meant to ape a soundtrack it's more difficult than usual to rank these songs because some of the songs that work best as soundscapes are the less enjoyable ones to listen to on their own, so I'm just going to rank by how much I enjoyed listening to them.* Not Saved: 13. Dirty Barry 12. It's Business As Usual 11. State Of Contraction Saved: 10. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis 9. The Big Bamboozle 8. The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes 7. Set The Controls Again 6. In A Moment Of Clarity 5. Achieved In The Valley In The [Spotify sic] Dolls 4. Vermillion Kisses 3. Miles 2. Something Wicked This Way Comes 1. The Sweetest Embrace Overall Notes: I'm sure I'm not the first to say that I don't think we needed two "soundtrack to an imaginary film" albums from this guy. Nevertheless I really enjoy these things, especially now that he decided to add words to some of the songs. They're fun, sue me!
Quasi-cinematic music for a film that doesn't exist. Interesting, diverse and noir-ish sounds. Nick Cave guests on "The Sweetest Embrace".
Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 11/20 Innovation: 16/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 8/20 =53 Cheeky Jarvis appearance! But but boring
Lipsahti taiteellisen puolelle. Instrumentaalit oli oikein hyviä, mutta se tarinankerronta vähän rikkoi flowta. Sinänsä mielenkiintoinen levy tai pitäisikö sanoa taideteos, mutta ei kuitenkaan ihan omaan makuun.
Strange as fuck
Música un tanto instrumental, con voz cálida, ritmos muy tranquilos. Buena música para escuchar en un entorno acogedor. Sin grandes aspiraciones, pero un tanto agradable de escuchar. Aun así, le falta algo
This one looks interesting
I’ve never heard of the guy and googled him. Someone described his solo music as “soundtracks for movies that don't exist” and I think that sums it up perfectly. Barry Adamson has a wide range of tools he’s showcasing for us and I had a lot of fun creating movies in my mind as I listened along. It’s a unique album but none of the songs feel as if they belong next to each other. I think a 2.5 would more accurately portray my feelings for this album. My favorites are The Big Bamboozle and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Cool! Then weird.. Then cool! Then scary
I liked the music but the talk-sing was making me anxious when I listened to this and I had to turn it off. Maybe I'll give it another go another time.
What a fun, weird ride. Some great sax work here. Business as Usual was miserable to listen to. The whole project was strange, but at least he was trying something. At least it's not another "Debut album by British pop band" like 500+ of the albums on here.
Haven't you heard, my name rhymes with Elvis
weeeeeird
Odd. But quite enjoyable. Glad I’ve heard this now.
A bit too weird modern jazz for me
refused to finish
Noicdes
Such an uneven album.
Outoilua joka ei itselleni uppoa yhtään. Pari kertaa taistelin läpi mutta ei levy ainakaan yhtään paremmaksi muuttunut.
Meh
experimental jazz is a tough thing to pull off. I'd say there's some cool bits here but some don't hit the mark.
interesting album, some songs are compositions over random recordings, some are upbeat piano pieces others are just stories like it alot
There were parts of this that I really, really hated, but some of it was actually solid. A very up-and-down album. Somebody should have gotten ahold of this guy and told him to cool it with the spoken word. Best track: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist
Not at all what I was expecting from the cover! Really enjoyed it.
It's ok but it's also kinda artsy Gen-X nonsense at the same time. Like it's kinda funky, jazzy, vaguely rock-y "organic drum & bass" or something. Style shifts from song to song. Saxophones and shit at times, no real singing but occasional vocals doing background chants and spoken word stuff. I will probably never listen to it again but it definitely doesn't suck. I reckon old mate knew what he was doing, it just so happens that I don't care about what he was doing haha.