Glide

Along with singer Ian McCulloch’s morose croon, guitarist Wil Sergeant’s sizzling fretwork helped mold the moody, atmospheric ambiance that nudged Echo and the Bunnymen to Eighties prominence. Sergeant’s latest solo outing under the guise of Glide finds him singlehandedly playing guitars and keyboards while integrating treatments and effects in a series of ever-shifting instrumental soundscapes. The songs suggest an unlikely alliance between Mike Oldfield and Black Sabbath. Only the darker, riff-heavy surge of “Rotation 1” and the more evocative “In Blue Sunshine” bring the Bunnymen to mind. Most, such as the percolating title track, the shimmering “Kraken,” and the pulsating “Iggy & Ziggy,” reflect more cosmic concerns.