Ashley Reaks – "Before Koresh" album review

Occasionally one hears an album and is immediately struck by the dexterity of the songwriting, music with a message, delivered, like a Trojan horse, amongst exquisitely constructed tunes. “Before Koresh”, the seventh album from UK-based collage artist and musician Ashley Reaks, is one such album. There is a sense from the opening bars of the title track that the listener is about to embark upon an education, and will in all probability enjoy every moment of it. A mesmerising cast of collaborators also guarantees a thought-provoking journey. Joining Reaks on vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards we have Maria Jardardottir on vocalizations, Dave Kemp on saxes, guitar, bass recorder and accordion, Nick Dunne on guitar solos, Hull poet Joe Hakim on vocals, postman Kevin Boniface on vocals and legendary Dickies vocalist (yes, THE Dickies) Leonard Graves Philips vocals on “The Dustman”. Many of the songs on here appear, on first hearing, innocuous and charming, but careful, repeated listening reveals an off-kilter disturbing element that Reaks appears to master. Lyrics such as “He throws dust in the eyes of all the babies that he meets…” add a menacing quality to “The Dustman”. Influences appear from many disparate genres as dub reggae and dissonant sound collages characterise ‘Wearside Jack’, whilst affectionate, suburban folk permeates through ‘Gleaming Cinders’. ‘Crystal’ and the gloriously titled ‘I Want to Get A Celebrity Pregnant’ showcase the caustic, yet uproarious, talents of wordsmith Joe Hakim. The words are at once abrasive and austere, yet within the context of the other music on “Before Koresh”, playful and taunting. Slightly less uncompromising, but none the less poignant, is the voice of Huddersfield Postman Kevin Boniface on the mischievous ‘Mr Barton and The Squirrels’. The unsettled integrated with the harmonious is a specific characteristic of “Inch Perfect” which fuses an almost childlike musical box melody with backwards vocals and an ominous bass line. ‘Hell And Back Again’ closes the album with a subtle blend of sing-along refrains, jazz funk and dissonant improvisation, which, on paper, would appear incompatible, but which on “Before Koresh” appear totally conventional....

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Ashley Reaks – Compassion Fatigue (1-8) album review

The premise for “Compassion Fatigue”, the latest release from multi-instrumentalist Ashley Reaks, is that the first song on the album will be one minute long, in the key of A, the second song two minutes long in the key of B, the third song three minutes long in the key of C and so on. On first realising this, one of the obvious knee jerk reactions may be that this is an abysmal gimmick, which totally overshadows the music within. Writing music within such strict guidelines may seem oppressive and mechanical. So, forget everything you have just read about the creation of the music and instead concentrate on the actual content. What we have here is a collection of tunes that so gloriously defy categorisation that they virtually stick two esoteric fingers up at any form of scene and go about their own business by their own rules. “Compassion Fatigue” as you would expect from being the first track, is one minute long and in the key of A, but forget I mentioned that, remember.

Sixty seconds of caustic lyrics superimposed over an almost progressive rock chord progression is the perfect introduction to this collection. The listener is hooked into the lyrical content in the same way that I can remember being drawn into the lyrics of Devo, there is something mischievous about the content, but it is dressed up in technically proficient and complex musical arrangements. Similarly, on “The World the Dead Have Made For Us” (two minutes long in B, sorry), the vocals and lyrics appear cheerful and family friendly, but hide a subtle message. “Cold Body Pussycat” illustrates how repetition in the vocal and instrumentation can accumulate layer upon layer to create mesmerising yet oddly sensitive music. In many ways that could be considered the theme to “Compassion Fatigue”, there is always a sense of “uneasy listening”. This can be illustrated again on “Wrong ‘Un”, as the music disguises the scathing nature of the vocal content. Contender for the best song title of the year so far must go to “Cot Death Grandmother”, and as the songs themselves become longer and therefore have available space to develop, the repetition and vocal wizardry take on a new level of sophistication. There is now even time for a saxophone solo and gently undulating vocal harmonies.

A dense, almost Philip Glass/Steve Reich-like element underpins “Street Cleaning” which really opens up the arrangements allowing for extended, almost baroque passages of saxophone, and progressive rock keyboard. It is now that the compositional proficiencies begin to shine through. The lyrics are no more family friendly for all this however, as the message is conveyed with a comical yet uncompromising edge.

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Ashley Reaks website

Ashley Reaks - Power Failure album review

Context is everything. According to his biography Ashley Reaks abandoned academia at an all boys public school after hearing the Ramones “Rocket to Russia” album and seeing Gee Vaucher’s artwork for Crass. After failing his art exam by tracing the cover of the first Ruts album, he embarked on a number of disparate projects including making music, collages and Dadaist poetry. Claims to fame include playing bass on “Take That’s” Mark Owen’s solo album and forming electro-pop outfit Younger Younger 28, who, within 6 months of forming, were playing the main stage at Glastonbury. Spending 2000 to 2009 on a variety of exhibitions, art and poetry tours; including stage appearances in a sheep’s mask making moaning noises, and producing a number of album releases from this tapestry of experiences, including experimental music and spoken word “Melancholia” in 2008.

Now 2012/2013 sees Ashley Reaks release a number of divergent albums including the one under consideration here “Power Failure”. The cover artwork itself displays his obvious love of collage, and reflects perfectly the variety of influences apparent on the music within. ‘From Egg to Worm to Fly’ has a striking refrain which skims briskly over a majestic bass line that any fan of Jah Wobble or Bill Laswell would be delighted to hear.

A lifetime’s interest in poetry is evident on ‘Lucky Gordon’ which, whilst having a naive, child like quality, is brought to maturity by authoritative bass and brass. Then we see the collage effect as ‘No Wonder Camels Spit’ changes the mood to one of introspection through repetitive piano phrases and delicate vernacular that are at times evocative of a possible movie soundtrack by Philip Glass and other minimalist composers. By gradually building layers of texture the piece gathers momentum, whilst still retaining an elusive enigma.

Raising the mood slightly ‘Bulldog Grace’ skips gracefully, whilst ‘Karma Bonfire’ grabs the listener by the lapels with stark, pragmatic poetry, read by Joe Hakim over a disquieting mixture of bass, brass and eastern influenced instrumentation. Here we now see the true spirit of the album, where the aesthetic finds its true voice. ‘Miss Holy Holy’ is electro a capella with a sting in the tail, whilst ‘The Glance of Mercy’ is a further nod to experimental, minimalist music but augmented now with bold percussion and brass lines.

‘Jesus in a Manger’ illustrates entirely the influence of Crass and Gee Vaucher, with its confused, feverish spoken word introduction and unsettling soundtrack. Careful listening reveals the spectrum of influences already acknowledged, from dub, improvisational and experimental jazz through to ambient washes of sound. The barbed vocals become breathless and urgent before fading unsympathetically....

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