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This variety is what makes The King of Nothing Hill so enjoyable -- it revels in being both fun and furious.
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Adamson isn't above mixing wacca-chika guitars with soaring strings and following it up with haunting instrumentals, and unlike some odd hybrids on former releases, this disc pulls most of it off quite well.
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Alternative PressNothing Hill works best when Adamson keeps his mouth shut and focuses on crafting moody instrumentals. [Oct 2002, p.76]
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Adamson is certainly adept at replicating the sights and sounds of the Bond and Blaxploitation films that inspired him in his youth. But is he celebrating his passion or merely mocking it in a hamfisted fashion? Sadly if feels like too much of the latter, even if it is by accident.
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Unfortunately, after the initial rush of the opening tracks, the album slows down perhaps too much.
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Adamson lives in a dream and his music is a delicious trip through time.
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MagnetSeems a transitional work connecting As Above to the future. [#56, p.78]
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MixerHe has come into his own as a tech-savvy songwriter who can make the sampled-bits, live horn sections and real string arrangements speak for him, not louder than him. [Nov 2002, p.79]
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MojoYou have wit, wisdom, and yet another Adamson sonic script you wish someone would film. [Oct 2002, p.100]
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Fans of the Mancunian mood sculptor will see this lavishly packaged collection as the latest step in securing Bazza's reputation as the North West's sardonic answer to Barry White.
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A unique, gripping listen that's certainly not for everyone, but manages to carve out an appealing niche for itself.
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'The King Of Nothing Hill' manages to effortlessly stir a Trans Atlantic cauldron of retro flavours, sleazy soul, avant-garde darkness, soundtrack cool, breaks, head nodding jazz sophistication and electronica sus.
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Q MagazineAdamson's not abandoned the scary swing tunes that made David Lynch a fan... merely added another gear. [Oct 2002, p.100]
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Ten tracks that play out like a joint venture between Shaft and David Bowie's Thin White Duke.
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For sixty-two glorious minutes, Barry Adamson can add a little danger, a little glamor and a little seamy excess to your humdrum existence.
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The WireSome awful lyrical lapses scupper otherwise promising pieces. [#223, p.51]
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UncutThis kind of hackneyed loungecore grammar sometimes sounds timeless and inspired, of course, but Adamson has a tendency to crowd routine melodies with superfluous guitars and clumsy beats. [Oct 2002, p.102]