After some releases with more of a pop, beat-heavy feel, {$Adamson} moves back -- sort of -- into the land of noirish soundtrack. Unlike {^Moss Side Story}, it's not really a soundtrack with repeated themes and motifs. A lot of pieces establish soundtrack-like moods, but the flow never builds up a momentum of its own. As individual soundscapes, though, the tracks (largely instrumental) are reasonably impressive, whether it's burlesque-type fare, a takeoff on {$Miles Davis}, or lounge jazz. If noir is what you want, {&"It's Business As Usual"} is especially creepy, with its neurotic answering machine messages nearly buried under waves of disquieting sounds; achieving a similar effect, in an entirely different manner, is {&"Vermillion Kisses,"} a fairytale narrative with a morbid ending. {$Nick Cave} adds a guest vocal to (and co-writes) {&"The Sweetest Embrace"}; {$Pulp's} {$Jarvis Cocker} can be heard (and co-writes) another cut. {$Adamson's} skill in layering and devising unusual sound textures still qualifies him as one of experimental rock's more imaginative composers and producers. But on the more rock-oriented pieces, he's using too many of those damn beat-boxes for his own good. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide