As If to Nothing

by Craig Armstrong

Overview

If the lush, sweeping strings and ambient beats of The Space Between Us seemed cinematic, As if to Nothing suggests an even bolder turn toward film score territory. It's an indication of how Armstrong's stock rose after Moulin Rouge was released and after his work with Massive Attack was featured in advertisements and soundtracks around the world that so many collaborators join the fray here. Bono, Evan Dando, Mogwai, Photek, and David McAlmont all attempt star turns, and less well-known performers from Big Dish, Alpha, and Laub get in on the festivities as well. But Armstrong's string arrangements are still the focal point, to the extent that most of the collaborators are relegated to a back seat. The album's high points mostly reside in the instrumentals, though Evan Dando's vocals break through the electronic wash in "Wake up in New York" and former Big Dish member Steven Lindsay's voice shines through on "Let It Be Love." Swati Natekar and Mogwai give a strong showing with "Miracle" and Alpha vocalist Wendy Stubbs' tenderly voiced "Sea Song" is sublime, though less studio polish would have aided both songs. The showy reworking of U2's "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" gives Bono the chance to emote like few contemporary U2 songs. The brilliant "Waltz" sees Laub's Antye Greie-Fuchs presenting a spoken-word manifesto over ambient gurgling. The instrumental "Inhaler" is a punishing change of pace, though it betrays a heavy Depeche Mode influence. Armstrong is certainly a talented studio technician, but there's a sense that he's relying too heavily on his patented string arrangements on As if to Nothing. While the album is another stylized dose of theatrical pop electronica, there is an undeniable feeling that Craig Armstrong is holding back. ~ Tim DiGravina

Product Details

Release Date:	03/18/2022
Label:	Music On Cd
UPC:	0600753951255
Rank:	140422

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Craig Armstrong   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards
Mogwai   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Steven Lindsay   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Swati Natekar   Primary Artist,Vocals
Evan Dando   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
David McAlmont   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Antye Greie-Fuchs   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Wendy Stubbs   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Photek   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Keyboards
Bono   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Steve Lindsay   Featured Artist
Tony Lewis   Celli
Peter Lale   Viola
Martin Loveday   Celli
Rita Manning   Violin
Stephen Hilton   Keyboards
Paul Morgan   Bass
Paul Kegg   Celli
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Michael Dorf   Choir/Chorus
Julian Leaper   Violin
Perry Mason   Violin
Warren Zielinski   Violin
Michael Clarke   Choir/Chorus
Katherine Shave   Violin
Mark Berrow   Violin
Bruce White   Viola
Donald McVay   Viola
Michael McMenemy   Violin
Frank Schaefer   Celli
Sonia Slany   Violin
Chris Laurence   Bass
Kate Musker   Viola
John Bowley   Choir/Chorus
Hanif Khan   Tabla
Ali MacLeod   Guitar
Iain King   Violin
Pauline Lowbury   Violin
Michael Pearn   Choir/Chorus
Richard Bissill   Horn
Paul Badley   Choir/Chorus
Jenny O'Grady   Choir/Chorus
Jonathan Evans-Jones   Violin
Simon Benson   Bass
Antonia Fuchs   Violin
Paddy Lannigan   Bass
Rosalind Waters   Choir/Chorus
Lindsay Shilling   Trombone
Rachel Allen   Violin
Laurence Power   Viola
Alison Kelly   Violin
Rebecca Hirsch   Violin
Ben Chappell   Celli
Paul Archibald   Trumpet
Simon Chamberlain   Piano
Fiona Hibbert   Harp
Sarah Leonard   Choir/Chorus
Susan Flannery   Choir/Chorus
Catherine Bott   Soprano
Mary Carewe   Choir/Chorus
Jake Davies   Keyboards
Simon Grant   Choir/Chorus
Claire Henry   Choir/Chorus
Richard Norris   Keyboards
Cathy Thompson   Violin
Timothy Grant   Viola
Cecilia Weston   Conductor
Maciej Rakowski   Violin
David Woodcock   Violin
James McLeod   Violin
Benedict Cruft   Violin
Leon Bosch   Bass
Robert Smissen   Viola
Andrew Gray   Choir/Chorus
Paul Gardham   Horn
Bill Benham   Viola
John Anderson Concert Orchestra   Oboe
Douglas Mackie   Violin
Katie Wilkinson Khoroshunin   Viola
Helen Parker   Choir/Chorus
Boguslav Kostecki   Violin
Gustav Clarkson   Viola
David Daniels   Celli
Jackie Shave   Violin
Nina Robertson   Flute
Andy Findon   Flute
Sophie Harris   Celli
John Parricelli   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Anthony Pleeth   Celli
Simon Preece   Choir/Chorus
Mary Scully   Bass
Tom Pearce   Choir/Chorus
Simon Fischer   Violin
Peter G. Hanson   Violin
Mike Brittain   Bass
David Porter Thomas   Choir/Chorus
Eddie Roberts   Violin
Dermot Crehan   Violin
Andrew Crowley   Trumpet
Naomi Wright   Celli

Technical Credits

Stephen Hilton   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Andy Bradfield   Mixing
Swati Natekar   Composer
Craig Armstrong   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Orchestral Arrangements
Matt Dunkley   Orchestration,Transcription
Isobel Griffiths   Orchestra Contractor
David Cross   Composer
Keith Uddin   Assistant Engineer
Gavyn Wright   Leader
Matt Fields   Assistant
Bill Bruford   Composer
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Composer
Evan Dando   Composer
The Edge   Composer
Jake Davies   Programming
Geoff Foster   Mixing,Engineer
Geoff Allan   Vocal Engineer
David McAlmont   Composer
U2   Composer
John Wetton   Composer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Vocal Engineer
Robert Fripp   Composer
Richard Norris   Programming,Vocal Engineer
Richard Palmer-James   Composer
Ricky Graham   Assistant Engineer
Antye Greie-Fuchs   Composer
John Cummings   Reworking
Photek   Mixing,Programming
Adam Clayton   Composer
David Donaldson   Mixing,Programming,Vocal Engineer,Digital Editing
Emile Ford & the Checkmates   A&R
Stuart Braithwaite   Reworking
Rick Guest   Photography