When All Things Real arrived in my office, I knew nothing about Steve Adey - except that he had a lot of nerve. What kind of person, on their debut album, covers Shelter from the Storm - many people's favourite song from many people's favourite Dylan album - and Will Oldham's I See a Darkness, where you have to compete not only with the original, but with Johnny Cash's version? Clearly, this is a no-win situation. So how come Adey wins? The secret lies in the gap between Adey's main influences: on the one hand, the mournful, home-made alt-country of Oldham and Smog; on the other, the pristine atmospheres of the Blue Nile and Talk Talk. It's into this gap that Adey pours his music, acknowledging both sets of influences, but sounding like neither. Adey's own songs can't quite match those two covers (hands up if you know any artist who can), but he comes close. If you like the people Adey likes, you'll welcome his arrival.
Grand Harmonium