Ashley Reaks
– Compassion Fatigue (1-8)
DL
Out Now
Collage
artist and experimental musician Ashley releases his new album.
With the
exception of Utah Saints, Harrogate to my knowledge hasn’t spawned many music
luminaries. With Ashley Reaks, it has a
potential new favourite son.
The Ramones
saw him on a musical path and Crass on an artistic one forming his first band,
No Reality, at the aged of 13. He’s been
subjected to horrific bouts of depression and has worked as a session bass
player including a contribution to the solo album of Take That’s Mark
Owen. His artwork has been exhibited in
Detroit and Valencia and after hearing this album, it’s easy to see the connection
between his collage work and music.
Compassion
Fatigue is nothing short of a triumph.
Its initial interest lying in the fact that track one is exactly one
minute long in the key of A, track two is two minutes in the key of B, etc… is
soon elongated by the sheer originality and aggression on show.
Now based in
London, Reaks with the help of Maria Jardardottir who provides Eastern
influenced voices, has produced one of the finest albums of the year.
Often
complicated and with frantic backings and melodies, the album bounds from the
opening vocal loop of the title track to incredibly complex arrangements of
prog-punk crashes and shouts and invariable abusive language. It stops at nothing and creates an intense
and unforgettable experience.
Street
Cleaning has to have one of the best ever opening lines with ‘Smeared in baby lotion, lizard loving
loner. Crackshot with a crossbow and a
crack-induced boner’ with its saxophone and spiraling keyboards, and Cot
Death Grandmother has one of the best titles.
Reggae and jazz also contribute styles to the album which does nothing
else than go from strength to strength escalating in a psychopathic frenzy of initially
hard-listening but breathtaking density.
I suspect
that listening to the album as standalone tracks won’t work, but to be honest,
you wouldn’t do anything else than listen to the whole glorious thirty-six
minutes in one sitting anyway.
Do yourself
a favour and buy this album to witness on of the most intelligent, interesting
and original concepts you will ever hear from a man who often borders on
genius.
9/10
9/10
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