Things Buried

by

Richard Barbieri

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I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago, and man, it's really cool! Being an avid Porcupine Tree fan, I sort of expected this to be the stuff that Richard would've wanted PT to sound like...not at all! He does his own thing, and does not short you on imagination and synth-ingenuity.

The music itself is ambient, ethereal, moody with chillout-esque rhythms cloaked thoughout the album. There's sort of an ethnic feel to the opening track, while at times sounding New Wave retro here and there...imagine Orbital meets Radiohead's Kid A (this album is entirely instrumental), and you'll get a pretty good idea of what this is about. Again, don't expect 'watered-down Porcupine Tree leftover' ideas; this to me effectively demonstrates what kinds of sounds Mr. Barbieri can concieve, create and produce on his own.

All in all, a great listen - a good 'massage-of-the-ears' type album, and a great release from Snapper (Porcupine Tree's current label)...kick back, relax, and enjoy the treat...if you like what Mr. Barbieri does in PT, you won't be disappointed.

After hearing the fairly interesting recent Richard Barbieri CD Stranger Inside, I looked here in his back catalogue to see if there was anything else worth hearing. I settled on Things Buried after reading the high hosannas accorded the album by a couple of reviewers, but when I received it and played it through a couple of times I was sort of disappointed to discover that it was no better or worse than the other one I already owned.

Like the other CD mentioned, Things Buried can best be classified as ambient electronica. It is busy, spacey and well-conceived but it just isn't the sort of music I would listen to on a daily basis. On the other hand, if I just wanted to zone out for a while, this would be perfect background music. My favorite cuts are the more subdued ones, Light On Glass and Drops of Mercury.

The CD is packaged in a sleek jewel box made in the elegant style used for K Scope, Snapper Music, and Burning Shed releases. It is accompanied by a sparsely annotated booklet and artwork that harks to the mood induced by the music. If the style of music described appeals to you, then by all means give Things Buried a listen.