Andy Jackson - Signal to Noise
Esoteric Antenna
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=4885

Rating: B

Andy Jackson has stepped out to the front, from behind the mixing board, and created an ethereal and colorful album, reminiscent of the band he has engineered for several decades: Pink Floyd.

This is a progressive album as one would surmise, as it was created by a master engineer and producer... and it sounds exquisite.  The songs are mesmerizing and the album becomes a bit addictive upon repeated listens. 

Andy takes a practical view of both the creation of the album and life in general, "The album reflects on the sorting of what is important in life from the humdrum of everyday existence, and is in itself an analogy for the process of the creation of the album.”

Jackson has been around some great musicians of which he has drawn inspiration.  He was a recording engineer on the classic Boomtown Rats tune "I Don't Like Mondays" before entering the Pink Floyd family when we worked on the film The Wall.  His work with Floyd spans from that time through the albums The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell, Pulse and the latest album The Endless River.  His name can also be found in the credits of side projects including Roger Waters' The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking and David Gilmour's About Face, On an Island and Live in Gdansk. 

Andy, while kept busy with Floyd, has managed to record three album of his own, titled On the Surface, Obvious and Mythical Burrowing Animals. Jackson's latest, Signal to Noise, however, is the best album he has created so far.  The album contains wonderful realms of sound that cascade along and entice the listener to pay attention.  It is reminiscent of pre-Dark Side Floyd in many ways, the creative forces not limited by anything other than his own imagination.

Jackson offers the ultimate in Prog Rock Nerdom, as well, as he has released Signal to Noise in a limited two-disc edition that includes a CD of the album and a DVD that features a Quadraphonic mix of the album. 

This is one recording that is first and foremost for fans of Pink Floyd, but any fan of Progressive music will appreciate the world Andy entered when he created Signal to Noise.

Track Listing:
DISC ONE
"Signal to Noise” stereo mix:

1.    The Boy in the Forest
2.    One More Push
3.    Invisible Colours
4.    Spray Paint
5.    Herman at the Fountain
6.    It All Came Crashing Down
7.    Brownian Motion

DISC TWO (DVD)
"Signal to Noise” quadrophonic mix:

1.    The Boy in the Forest
2.    One More Push
3.    Invisible Colours
4.    Spray Paint
5.    Herman at the Fountain
6.    It All Came Crashing Down
7.    Brownian Motion

By Jeb Wright