UK dub maestro and producer, Adrian Sherwood is hardly what anyone might call a slacker, but it’s 13 years since the release of his last solo album, Survival and Resistance. Those who have been eagerly anticipating more of his particular take on one of Jamaica’s greatest musical exports, however, need wait no longer.
While The Collapse of Everything doesn’t offer too many surprises to those familiar with the On-U Sound, it does bring in plenty of other textures along the way. Smouldering, moody and intoxicating, it is an album that may not hit the extremes of some of Sherwood’s previous collaborations, but it does have more than enough to earn some space in any dub set. Indeed, the presence of fellow travellers Cyrus Richards and the veteran On-U rhythm section of Doug Wimbish and Keith Le Blanc also bring plenty of spice to the proceedings and make this album much more than just a chilled-out curiosity.
The title track starts things off with a woozy flute and a gentle groove and is like getting into a relaxing sonic bath; the hypnotic “Dub Inspector” is mellow but distinctly hip-swinging and the cosmic “Spaghetti Best Western” suggests the sound of Augustus Pablo getting down with Ennio Morricone in an ocean of reverb. “The Well is Poisoned (Dub)” and “Body Roll” bring jazzy sounds to the fore and marinates them in warm echomania, while “Hiroshima Dub Match” adds an eerie but trippy gait. These tunes will no doubt keep our weed-smoking brothers and sisters more than happy, but there’s also plenty here for those that feel no need to hit the herb.
Adrian Sherwood has previously taken control of the echo deck for reggae royalty like Lee Scratch Perry and Prince Far I, industrial dadaists Tackhead and Mark Stewart and provided remixes for the likes of Primal Scream, Sinéad O’Connor and more recently Halsey and Panda Bear and Sonic Boom. The Collapse of Everything, however, shows that Adrian Sherwood is more than capable of bringing plenty to the party without having to rely on the big names.
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