Adrian Sherwood The Collapse Of Everything
Adrian Sherwood's The Collapse Of Everything arrives as a restless study of collapse and repair, where collaboration and dub production turn political ruin into cinematic, sometimes mournful soundscapes. Across professional reviews critics note a balance of grief and emergent hope, and they point repeatedly to textured standouts such as “Spaghetti Best Western”, “The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)” and the title piece “The Collapse Of Everything” for crystallizing the record's tensions.
Critical consensus places the album in a favorable light, earning a 75/100 consensus score across 2 professional reviews. Reviewers consistently praise Sherwood's producerly imagination: cinematic textures and Morricone-tinged motifs on “Spaghetti Best Western”, the dub hauntology of “The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)”, and the warlike charge of “Battles Without Honour And Humanity” recur as the best songs on the record. Critics note the album's emphasis on atmosphere over hooks, with layered percussion, flute-laced forests and oriental-hazed downtempo passages that frame themes of political and economic collapse alongside moments of mourning and tentative hope.
While some reviews temper enthusiasm by underscoring the project's subtlety and scarcity of immediate melodies, the professional reviews agree that Sherwood's experimental production and collaborative breadth make The Collapse Of Everything a compelling next step in his catalogue. For readers searching for an evocative, dub-forward statement that rewards close listening, the consensus suggests this collection is worth attention.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Spaghetti Best Western
2 mentions
""Spaghetti Best Western" brilliantly merges dub effects and Morricone-isms."— AllMusic
The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)
2 mentions
""The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)," featuring Brian Eno, is filled with ascending guitar echoes"— AllMusic
The Great Rewilding
2 mentions
""The Great Rewilding" has more of a stilted, sideways rhythm"— AllMusic
"Spaghetti Best Western" brilliantly merges dub effects and Morricone-isms.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
The Collapse Of Everything
Dub Inspector
The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)
Body Roll
Battles Without Honour And Humanity
Spaghetti Best Western
The Great Rewilding
Spirits (Further Education)
Hiroshima Dub Match
The Grand Designer
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Adrian Sherwood's The Collapse Of Everything feels like a meditation on loss and resilience, where the best songs - “Body Roll” and “The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)” - fold grief into dub's spacious machinery. The reviewer dwells on Sherwood's producerly gaze, noting how cinematic pieces such as “Spaghetti Best Western” and “The Great Rewilding” expand his palette while tracks like “Hiroshima Dub Match” and “Body Roll” bring oriental-hazed downtempo textures. The album's tension between personal and global collapse is clear, yet the record repeatedly offers a sense of hope rising from ashes. This is Sherwood observing, accumulating energies, and speaking through abundant production detail rather than headline hooks.
Key Points
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The best song, notably "Body Roll", stands out for its drumming by Keith LeBlanc and oriental-hazed downtempo textures.
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The album's core strengths are Sherwood's production vision, cinematic dub textures, and a balance of personal grief with a political outlook that still finds hope.
Themes
mu
Critic's Take
Paul Simpson finds that Adrian Sherwood's The Collapse Of Everything stakes its claim on raw, mournful power, with the title track's flute-laced, forest-like atmosphere and the brutal charge of “Battles Without Honour and Humanity” emerging as the best songs. He praises the inventive fusion on “Spaghetti Best Western” for merging dub effects with Morricone touches, and singles out “The Well Is Poisoned (Dub)” and “Dub Inspector” as standout deep cuts that showcase Sherwood's trippy production. The review emphasizes these tracks as the best tracks on The Collapse Of Everything, arguing they embody the album's warlike tension and mournful beauty.
Key Points
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The best song work comes from tracks that marry mournful atmosphere and inventive dub production, notably the title track and "Spaghetti Best Western."
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The album's core strengths are its mournful tone, warlike sonic motifs, and adventurous dub experimentation.