Having overcome his bout with mediocrity, Adamson returns with Oedipus Schmoedipus, another extremely scary record in that trademark Adamson vein of creepiness. With 13 tracks that sound like they could take form and commit acts of homicide on their own, the former Bad Seed's creation is undeniably... alive.

Opening with the gospelicious, sexadelic "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis," Adamson makes the listener immediately aware that his cinematic gothiness is not to be fucked with-- not by you, or anybody. Pulp's Jarvis Cocker takes lead vocals on the track, putting a capital H on Horny. No, it's actually even grosser than it sounds. "Heart of the Pelvis" blends casually into the French freakiness of "Something Wicked This Way Comes," which gives way to the bizarre "The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes," a number more clearly influenced by David Lynch-endorsed composer Angelo Badalamenti than anything else here.

Oedipus goes from weird to downright terrifying on "It's Business as Usual," the album's most unsettling moment. Messages left by a frantic ex-girlfriend on a mysterious answering machine repeat over an urgent, humming loop. ("I've been up all night thinking about you, and I really think it'd be good if we could, y'know, get together and talk about this thing because... I really miss you. And I love you.") Other great moments include the dark fairy tale, "Vermillion Kisses," and the Miles Davis tribute, aptly titled "Miles." Let's hope Barry Adamson keeps it together, because as Moss Side Story and Oedipus Schmoedipus prove, when he's on, he's really, really on.

-Ryan Schreiber, 1998