Adam Green - 'Gemstones' (Rough Trade)
3/5
By: Joshua K
'Gemstones,' the third album from sometime (but mostly not) Moldy Peach Adam Green, is his attempt to consolidate position atop the ragtag movement ambivalently known as 'anti-folk.'
And as is often the case with consolidation records (Radiohead's 'Kid A' to 'Amnesiac' and Primal Scream's 'Exterminator' to 'Evil Heat', come to mind), it's not the great leap forward Green took from the home-demos of sporadically good debut LP 'Garfield' to the consistently great 'Friends of Mine'. In fact, it feels more like 'Friends... Redux'. This isn't bad, mind. It just contains nothing as instantly memorable as 'Jessica' or 'Bunny Ranch'.
So, 'Gemstones' is another fifteen songs in the Adam Green stylee, then. Lyrics transparently and obliquely referencing erstwhile seediness and sexual perversion, delivered with a goofy, disarming charm that makes the likes of 'Choke on a Cock' amusing instead of insulting. Musically, last single 'Emily' and the title-track are fine examples of what to expect; Green crooning like a self-consciously too-cool '60s lounge singer over acoustic and electric guitar and Wurlitzer organ.
For those visual learners amongst us, however, think of 'Gemstones' this way: another 31 minutes of two-minute ditties vigorously tossed off for your listening pleasure. Not an (ahem) pearl necklace, but nowhere near cubic zirconia either. If you're already a fan, you'll get off on it; if you're a newbie, you probably won't know where to stick it. All puns fully intended, as Green would surely appreciate.
Artists in this article: Adam Green
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