Adem - Takes

Adem is no dying legend, ageing rockstar, nor crooning lounge lizard, yet he still survives the release of this covers album with his reputation not only intact, but massively enhanced. The reasons? Well, the two most fundamental elements of any songsmithery, particularly the borrowed kind: Adem is a mean musician and with, dare I say, fine taste. There’s no obligatory rehash of Bridge Over Troubled Water or any other pedestrian singalongs here. Instead, he’s hand-picked 12 less obvious gems from indie rock stalwarts spanning 1991-2001 and concocted an exceptional covers album, tailor-made for the Pitchfork generation. The multi-instrumentalist adds layer upon layer of acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies to the bones of tracks penned by everyone from Polly Harvey to Aphex Twin, from Low to Yo La Tengo and The Pumpkins to The Breeders, each dissected and reconstructed with due reverence. From start to finish, Takes is a hugely rewarding listen. [Finbarr Bermingham]