The Catherine Wheel - Adam and Eve (CD)

All Music Guide

With Catherine Wheel's records getting heavier, harder, and more bloated in succession, it came as great relief that their fourth proper record would provide a change. From the opening atonal plink of Brian Futter's guitar on "Future Boy," it is apparent that they're focusing more than ever on the use of sublime atmospherics, an arrow in the band's quiver that had only been exposed briefly during prior outings on their full-lengths and largely shelved for use as B-sides until then. Prior comparisons to Pink Floyd didn't make a great deal of sense, but here they did. The solemn, dusky edge to the likes of "Future Boy" and "Ma Solituda" recalls parts of Wish You Were Here and Animals, although leaning toward pop and removing most strains of gargoyle rock. Furthermore, when was the last time a song was closed off with the sound of a car door being slammed? Neil Sims that forms the basis of the ten-times gorgeous "Thunderbird" is lifted from Talk Talk's "After the Flood." Much more than a ...batch of smart references, Adam and Eve is a cold splash of water in the face of the pessimistic and cynical. Even in the most melancholy of Adam and Eve's songs, there's an uplifting quality that carries throughout, extracting most of the emotional detritus that seeped through the band's earlier work. Not everything is windswept atmospherics, either. The romping "Delicious" catches Rob Dickinson at his most randy, imagining he's Bruce Lee and Michael Caine. "Broken Nose" and "Satellite" are dynamic, muscular modern rock at its finest. Anyone finding that some of this material errs on the side of sappiness or boldness really needs more sunshine in their life. - Andy Kellman, All Music Guide Read more Less