I and I is Adam Sarmiento and if he has identity issues, I can’t really blame him. Because on his new album White Noise/Black Music, he sometimes sounds like an incarnation of Depeche Mode (“Venus”, “Thought Counts”) only to turn into Talking Heads (“The Bottom”). And then he sounds as himself: slick, danceable electronica (with an abundant overuse of the voice manipulator, I’m afraid).

White Noise/Black Music is Adam’s third release, and besides his solo stint he also has a past as drummer and writer with The New Tribe, The Pistol Arrows, and The Candles. Of his latest effort, Adam says: “…after the first album that I wanted to take more time on this one and make sure that it was something I could live with for a long time. This approach allowed me to step back and look at the things that had a more timeless appeal and those elements which were more transitory and frivolous. “

While I instinctively liked the album at first, I have to admit that the already mentioned voice manipulation quickly started rubbing me the wrong way. It makes the music sound out of date, and not in a cool retro way, but in a Mary Mary – “Shackles” kind of way despite being of completely different genres. There are good songs on there – “The Bottom” being my favorite – but the production holds back their true potential at often times.

~ “Venus”~