england Richard Barbieri: Stranger Inside, Deep Moods Outside

In just over a month, Keyboard wizzard Richard Barbieri will be back with his second solo full-length in a career spanning almost four decades. Hot on the heels of widely succesful predecessor “Things Buried”, “Stranger Inside” repeats the formula of softly glistening instrumentals while taking his music to new levels. Linking polyrhythmic Ethno-excursions with monotonously pounding four to the floor bassdrums, majestic nocturnal Piano-musings and spacey epics, Barbieri again searches for otherworldly depth and a surreal kind of sensuality in oneiric spaces. Bordering TripHop, Jazz and Rock, “Stranger Inside” encompasses the progressive ambiances of his current band Porcupine Tree, while touching upon the edgey electronics of his former ensemble Japan. The album will be out digitally on September 8th, with physical sales beginning shortly afterwards.

For “Stranger Inside”, Richard Barbieri has again called in the help of some old friends. Steve Jansen co-arranged pieces and took on mixing duties, while Steven Wilson (frontman of aforementioned Porcupine Tree) mastered the final results. Tim Bowness of No Man also showed up in the studio to add some vocals, which Barbieri later processed to haunting effect. With Gavin Harrison on Drums and Double Bass Maestro Danny Thompson (currently involved in the resurrection of Folk-Rock-Jazz band Pentangle), Richard Barbieri gathered just the right personnel to ensure the album would sound exactly the way he wanted.

First clips of the record, available from a special microsite, suggest dense textures and diverse moods. Richard Barbieri has certainly placed an equal emphasis on timbre, sound, melody and production, turning “Stranger Inside” into a both appealing and challenging listen. For anyone interested in more than just the studio outings of Barbieri, there is good news as well: Porcupine Tree will embark on a short European tour in October.

Homepage. Richard Barbieri
Homepage: Snapper Records
By Tobias Fischer, published 2008-08-07

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