Adam Moore – Regent and Curious Liquid

Adam Moore is a self-described Guitarist, Composer, Songwriter, Singer, Educator, Musical Experimenter, Recording Engineer & Producer….he’s studied with renowned luminaries of the guitar such as Robert Fripp, Mattias IA Eklundh and Jasper Smith and elicits an eclectic range of tones and colours from his instruments. In the frequently self-absorbed and technique-fixated world of modern guitar playing his relaxed and imaginative style retains a contemporary edge and his confidence is such that he’s not afraid to eschew the guitar entirely in order to focus on atmospheric and engaging compositions.Regent is his latest release whereas Curious Liquid (his first release) harks from 2004 and of course as you might expect with works recorded 6 years apart there are notable differences in Adam’s choice of approach, tone and compositional ideas -- it’s actually fascinating to see the development of a guitarist and a musician over time.

Curious Liquid

Curious Liquid -- Shiny Things -- Hooligan Dance -- Breathing Diamond Dust -- Eve and After -- Thunderbox -- Lilies -- Rare Shimmer -- Whipworms -- Time’s Witch -- Rope Trick -- The Colourless Apple -- The Lotus Heart

Curious Liquid is certainly a little more of an atypical guitarist’s album -- Adam displays a fine ear for stomping riffs, wah-inflected lead lines and the usual array of contemporary “High Tech” guitar techniques all coupled with a bold, ballsy tone and advanced harmonic sensibilities. Suffering from the usual reviewers curse I am struggling to get through a review without referencing other players with whom Adam shares similarities but if I mention Satriani and Vai I’m not merely drawing parallels -- he’s that good!

There’s a wonderfully expressive and melodic side to Adam’s playing throughout all of the tracks aided by a fluid vibrato and a subtle hand with the whammy bar nestling happily in the same creative font with artful, understated use of effects which makes tracks like “Breathing Diamond Dust” a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Clever accents with the whammy pedal, wah-wah and vibrato bridge give his joyous lines an elegant life of their own and the dexterous runs never seen indulgent -- simply exuberant.

In direct contast to the uptempo rock tracks a gentle, ambient track like “Eve and After” incorporates volume swells, clean tones and an almost Holdsworth-like approach to voicings as it meanders through a simple iridescent landscape….this is an album of bold contrasts from a great, British talent.

Regent

Regent -- Greasy and The Tube Monkeys -- The Projectionist -- Fuschia -- Let’s Work in Retail -- Purple Circles -- Empress in the Beginning -- Portals -- Delicatessen -- Chocopocalypse Now -- Lo’s Orchard -- The Knot Garden -- Light Angelic Mills

By way of comparison Regent does share a couple of similarities with Curious Liquid -- Adam’s playing is as fiercely lyrical as before with all the techno-stun joyrides, colourful use of effects, deft whammy manipulations and some colossal groovin’ riffs.There’s a harmonic maturity in these compositions and a more experimental edge that elevates them from great rock guitar to expressive instrumental poetry. In “Fuschia” a Jazzy, discordant and unsettling section interupts the progressive melodic theme and then gives way to that same melody restated…. “Let’s Work in Retail” incorporates synths and more of those delicate, chiming chords which set the tone for the brilliant, “Purple Circles”. Managing to be grounded in emotion and hauntingly etheral at one and the same time…huge production and expressive chords (with perhaps a nod of the head to a certain Italian Virtuoso) followed by a triumphant lead section…simply epic craft.

“Delicatessen” and “Chocopocalypse Now” are a guitar-worshippers dream as quirky melodies and energetic rhythms are infused with a chaotic life through more of those subtle effects, and blistering runs. The swept melody section from Chocopocalypse is a particularly nice touch and neatly answers the question “Can you mix chops and melody” -- Yes…you can and these examples are particularly good. Returning to a slower, more measured tempo “Lo’s Orchard” utilises more clean-toned guitars to create gentle layers of harmony that are never cloying or too dark.….whereas The Knot Garden” is an emotive tour-de-force of modern, melodic playing where once more Adam creates uplifting music that sounds absolutely fresh and non contrived……there’s a sense of balance and direction throughout both CD’s which gives his playing more than a frisson of genuine greatness.

The last track “Light Angelic Mills” is a lengthy, ambient and spartan composition without a guitar to be heard. Instead, layers of synthesisers and samples meld together seamlessly, tastefully and quite unexpectedly…..in choosing to close in such a manner you can’t help but be impressed by the lack of ego Adam displays….and with that comes  the realisation that this is more than a collection of outstanding music -- it’s a journey.

Never afraid to incorporate other instruments and musicians to expand his compositions (Alto Sax from Lewis Mann on “Empress in the Beginning” to Orchestrations and Matt Moore’s Synth/Arrangements on “Purple Circles” ) the result is an extremely well polished, varied and thoughtful CD. In introducing these albums to me Adam expressed a desire to create a heartfelt and divergent slice of artistry -- he’s certainly done that, and more besides.

Regent

Of note here is the fact that Adam sent me the Limited Edition CD which comes complete with another disc containing the tracks from the album with most of the guitar removed -- awesome jam tracks so get them before they all sell out!

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Curious Liquid

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Adam’s albums are available at a number of vendors:

Guitar Nine Records Guitar CDs Ltd Guitar Euro Shop Amazon Abstract Logix & CD Baby

http://www.evesound.com/evesound.htm

http://www.youtube.com/EvesoundGuitar

Adam at Lick Library

http://www.myspace.com/evesoundadammoore

Interview at Shredknowledge.com

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