Multi-instrumentalist Ryan Moore (better known to alt-rock adepts as the bassist for
the Legendary Pink Dots) continues his single-minded dub crusade with this, his ninth self-produced solo album recorded under the name
Twilight Circus Dub Sound System. As always, his strengths and weaknesses boil down to the exact same thing: an almost monomaniacal devotion to the instrumental dub reggae of the 1970s that was epitomized in the work of producers like
King Tubby,
Augustus Pablo, and
Lee "Scratch" Perry. From
King Tubby he derives a delightful sense of textural risk-taking, from
Pablo a fondness for minor keys, and from
Perry a warm, wet analog sound that has come to be associated almost uniquely with
Perry's legendary Black Ark recording studio. The strength of this approach lies in Moore's ability to re-create these sounds with such amazing fidelity; its weakness lies in the essentially derivative nature of the music that results. But dub fiends don't niggle over details like originality -- this is mood music, and as such it's great stuff. Highlights are almost an oxymoron with this music, but this album's title track does rock particularly hard. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson