Engine of Paradise

by Adam Green

Overview

Discounting the soundtrack to his 2016 Aladdin film and a 2013 LP of duets with singer Binki Shapiro, Engine of Paradise arrives as Adam Green's first proper solo release since the relatively low-key Minor Love back in 2010. While the former Moldy Peach has since stretched out as an experimental filmmaker, visual artist, and poet in the ensuing years, his musical mode remains relatively unchanged since he reinvented himself in the early years of the millennium. His quick transition from jokey, lo-fi, anti-folk bard to slightly less jokey, retro-pop crooner came about in 2003, lodging him rather firmly in a stylistic comfort zone which he has populated from album to album with the distinctive lyrical oddities, offbeat humor, and an unkempt baritone that constitute his bailiwick. Such is the case with Engine of Paradise, a relatively brief, generally enjoyable set of string-adorned, '60s-centric indie pop cuts which coincide thematically with his concurrently released graphic novel, War and Paradise. A detached sense of loneliness pervades many of these songs, even as their breezy arrangements sparkle warmly in the fringes. Standouts like "Freeze My Love" and "Rather Have No Thing" are concerned with the emotional disconnections between the self, lovers, and society at large. Green's semi-deadpan delivery and witty front often bely the real pain lurking within his lyrics, though the lush arrangements help tell a different tale. Familiar in style and approach, Engine of Paradise offers a sturdy distillation of Green's worldview, albeit a slightly darker one. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/06/2019
Label:	30TH CENTURY RECORDS
UPC:	5056167115649

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Adam Green   Primary Artist,Guitar,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic)
Mark Noseworthy   Guitar (Electric)
Florence Welch   Vocals (Background)
LaJuan Carter   Vocals (Background)
Jesse Kotansky   Cello,Viola,Violin
Delicate Steve   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Loren Humphrey   Bass,Drums,Wood Block,Orchestra Bells,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
James Richardson   Bells,Piano,Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic)
Jonathan Rado   Bass,Drums,Piano,Celeste,Synthesizer
Xan Aird   Guitar (Acoustic)
Ben Flesch   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic)
Martin Benventre   Organ,Piano
Jason Weiss   Bass
Audrey Martells   Vocals (Background)
Casey Holford   Guitar (Acoustic)

Technical Credits

Adam Green   Composer,Watercolor Artwork
Jesse Kotansky   Photography,String Arrangements
Loren Humphrey   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
James Richardson   Concert Coordinator
Jonathan Rado   Reverb,Engineer,Producer
Tom Bayne   Layout Design
Yasmin Green   Photography
Lucas Carpenter   Assistant Engineer
Casey Holford   Engineer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Mark Green   Photography