ADHD | Riverside
Written by Dan on June 18, 2009
Home >> Album Reviews >> ADHD | Riverside
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There’s something very different between my first review of Riverside and this one. When I wrote the first review, I had literally just found them that very night and only owned Rapid Eye Movement (2007) and Voice in My Head - EP (2005). At the time, I thought they might be on to something, but nothing really clicked. It’s been more than a year since that first review. I now own their first three full length studio albums (i.e. the Reality Dream Trilogy) and two EPs. Nirav and I have also since had the privilege of meeting them backstage at their only non-feastival show in the US to date for an interview with the lead singer, Mariusz Duda. So can you tell the difference between when I wrote my first review and now? Riverside has become one of my favorite bands and among the best of my finds since the start of Obnoxious Listeners.

Tomorrow, Riverside releases their fourth full-length studio album: Anno Domini High Definition (2009), or ADHD, worldwide (update: Poland - June 6, Europe - July 3, US - July 28). This is somewhat of a concept album, as Mariusz explains in the video clip I’ve posted below. Thanks to Riverside’s manager, Rob Palmen, I’ve been given the chance to check out a pre-release copy of ADHD. This album proves that the Reality Dream Trilogy was indeed a trilogy, and not just because of lyrics or theme. ADHD is a self-contained and complete album all to itself and is much more energetic. Which is exactly what Mariusz promised ADHD would be in our interview: “energetic”. That’s not to say this album doesn’t have its quiet moments or time to build. In fact, the album opens with a lone piano as way to build suspense. And actually the album as a whole does this. You’ll notice that each track gets progressively longer. That said, at times the music is pretty mellow and very evocative of Pink Floyd (particularly the guitar and keys in Left Out). That should be no surprise to avid Riverside fans. If you’ve picked up the O2 Panic Room - EP, you should have recognized a cover of Pink Floyd’s Shine on You Crazy Diamond entitled Back to the River. However, what’s interesting with Left Out is the way it continues to build and build into something far too heavy and aggressive for Pink Floyd.

I also noticed a much stronger presence of keyboards in ADHD than before. Now the keyboards are more center stage in such as way it’s even harder to pinpoint who else they sound like because they have their own wonderfully developed sound. If you’re never listened to Riverside, this is a great album to start with since the trilogy almost requires you to hear the whole thing to get the full effect. On the other hand, if you’ve been a fan of Riverside for a while now, you might be caught off-guard because of some stylistic divergences from the trilogy. Trust me, the best albums never hit you immediately, and this one gets better with every listen.

All in all, this is a fantastic album whether you’re new to Riverside or a long time fan. Just as a reminder, Nirav and I sat down with Mariusz Duda last September. We just so happened to talk about ADHD. I’ve gone ahead taken a clip about some of our conversation about the new album and posted it below. Enjoy!

http://www.vimeo.com/5153331

Check out the full interview here.

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