Adrian Utley's Guitar Orchestra - In C

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 18 / 9 / 2013

Label: Invada Records
Format: CD

intro

Challenging but transfixing remake by Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley with his Guitar Orchestra of American composer Terry Riley’s ‘In C'

Adrian Utley is well known for his role as one of the three main members of Bristol-based trip-hop pioneers Portishead. Their seminal debut album ‘Dummy’ is now 19 years old. Listen to it and think about that fact. It is an album which is so unbelievably cool, so many years ahead of its time, so sexy, so dark, and that probably has more depth and soul than most people of the same age (no offence under 20’s). Adrian Utley can’t do anything wrong as far as I’m concerned, but this new album is challenging, a remake of Terry Riley’s ‘In C’, one of the most influential pieces of music from the last century. The original set a precedent for minimalist music and basically gave people that understand what the words ‘53 Musical phrases in C’ actually mean a fantastic opportunity to explore musical structures through the C chord. And that is exactly what Utley, along with eighteen other guitarists, four organists and a bass clarinet player also do here. If you’re either a massive Portishead fan or a very hip classical music fan, you won’t be disappointed in this in any way. This quite unique ensemble have created a transfixing, mellow journey that just keeps going and takes subtle but mind-bending twists. It isn’t something I’d suggest ‘popping on’ at a party, but it is certainly worth investing the time in.

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