Ashley Reaks - The Body Blow of Grief

  by Lisa Torem

published: 19 / 12 / 2024

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Review

It comes as no surprise that Ashley Reaks’ 14th solo album, ‘The Body Blow of Grief’ finds the Harrogate visual artist/instrumentalist/songwriter reinventing the wheel. As on his previous record, ‘Winter Crawls,’ he expands his visionary range and predictably turns a creative corner. Reaks has, deliberately or organically, honed his own brand over the course of his career, but has relied on steady skills: down and dirty basslines continue to allure, and his lyrics could rise from the ashes of an Edgar Alan Poe elegy--he’s the guy who has always got something new up his sleeve. This album flaunts a deep progressive rock zeitgeist, with elements reminiscent of ‘Tubular Bells,’ early American metal, a nod to Frank Zappa, a toast to Philip Glass. His lyrics across the board are raw, visceral and weirdly catchy, which seems to be his calling card. If you’ve followed Reaks, you know, that he is a fine, visual artist. On the cover, we see a disproportionate figure, which he likely designed. The figure looks skyward, amid a pile of indistinguishable clutter. Are those tree branches? I’m not exactly sure. But the ambiguity works well in keeping with his mysterious legacy. Reaks began scribing the words and haunting sonics last year. He invited back familiar, guests: versatile, vocalist Lucy Mizen; Nick Dunne, who plays the living heck out of electric and acoustic guitar; Joe Purnell, a saxophonist who would have easily rubbed elbows with beatniks and boppers in another lifetime; Dan Mizen, a precise, intrepid percussionist and engineer, and Maria Jardardottir, one of the most hypnotic singers I’ve yet to hear. The count-down? ‘No Place in the Nature of Things,’ cooly coalesces into a fiery anthem. Reaks’ baritone is offset by his female counterparts and wrenching images: “the flies in the gutter in the bins.” There’s more call and response and elusive imagery afterwards: “bugs growing in the nest,” and “The rich eat the powerless.” The latter part grows symphonic and to a leisurely fade. ‘Somewhere to Hide Among the Swarm’ pits us in the middle of more sturm and drang. There’s a brief, sunny synth solo (and more later) which foreshadows a layered pop stanza, followed by space-age guitar. ‘Blessed Are They That Mourn’ features Jardardottir. The rhythms jut and jive and are wickedly relentless. The poet strikes again: “He looked at me like a bug under a microscope.” The sax waffles in and out without apologies, adding to the rich pallet. ‘Living in Gas Time’ relies on Reaks’ spasmodic basslines and more nature namechecks, the likes of “strange birds fluttering in their nests.” ‘Hobbling Like a Refugee,’ harborrs a love song of sorts, one that will not, alas, end well: “she stole my heart/she stole my soul.” Again, Reaks sets us up with bombastic bass, but the dragon-breathing guitar lies not far behind. ‘Mongrel Nation’ headlines another rebellious bassline, which digs even deeper, like a pied-ball hammer to the tenderest part of the skull, but there’s a soft side: “Like a snail creeping out of its shell.” Wait, don’t get too relaxed because: “everybody’s brains turned inside out…” The horn solo at the outro. is sensational. The closer, ‘I’m Not a Fossil’ pulls out all the stops: spine-tingling, old-school synth, dissonant backing vocals and the leit motif: “passengers creep through the ghostly fog.” The song culminates in brilliant cacophony, flush with acid guitar, more synth and the echo of shadowy vocals.

Track Listing:-

1 Home Is Where the Hurt Is
2 No Place In The Nature Of Things
3 Somewhere To Hide Among The Swarm
4 Blessed Are They That Mourn
5 Living In Gas Time
6 Hobbling Like A Refugee
7 Mongrel Nation
8 I'm Not A Fossil

Band Links:-

http://www.ashleyreaks.com/
https://twitter.com/ashleyreaks
http://ashleyreaks.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ashleyreaksar
https://www.instagram.com/ashleyreaks/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ash231266

Have a Listen:-