'She Burns' video and 'Melancholia' review

Here's an animated video for my song 'She Burns' from my album 'Melancholia'...
The video was made by Norwegian film-maker Ulf Kristiansen
'Melancholia' is available to buy here



Ashley Reaks...'Melancholia'

A delightful surprise, as a former also ran of indie makes a damn-near perfect chillout album

Now here’s a fellow I don’t think any of us expected to hear from again? Ashley Reaks, former Younger Younger 28s member, returns with a solo album and it’s a rather charming surprise. A work of glorious bedsit pop - with delicious, at times tribal rhythms, Massive Attack etherialism and basslines that would make Jah Wobble drool.

A wealth of blissful rhythms, marked by Reaks’ artful insights and growling Northern accent make for an album of textures and colours, the perfect soundtrack to any late night vibe from toking to screwing. Absolutely splendid stuff.

More please!

Chris Merriman

www. myspace.com/subbacultcharawks

Ashley Reaks - Melancholia


Artist, musician, and comedian Ashley Reaks is a man of many interests, and this comes across on his album Melancholia - an interesting blend of ominous musical backdrops over African and Indian influenced beats, with a bit of punk thrown in for good measure. Imagine Nine Inch Nails if a mellow Trent Reznor took interest in world rhythms.

To keep things from becoming dull, Reaks has included a few tracks that go in unexpected directions. There are three instrumental tracks on the album that all sound as if they are drawing from different genres respectively, but are still excellent nonetheless. There are also the songs which would have to be likened to spoken word. On these tracks, Reaks recites prose eloquently, if somewhat perplexingly, over mesmerizing grooves. Amongst these She Burns stands out with its Indian-style trills erupting between Reaks' stanzas.

Melancholia is perfect for a person suffering from just that. Ashley Reaks has crafted an album of mellow, calming sounds, excluding I've Got Everything (That Nobody Wants), which blares during the middle as the most obvious example of his punk influences yet. If this album doesn't spur some sort of positive emotion, then it probably wasn't heard properly and deserves another listen.

Coren J. Cogdell
www.aloud.com

Latest News...

My new CD 'Melancholia' is now available to buy here.

'Melancholia' combines many of my musical inspirations, African rhythms, post-punk guitars and vocals, cut-up poetry, the heavy bass of dub reggae, Indian drones, repetition and sound collage.

There's loads of new art here which has recently been published in a few magazines including the wonderful Platforms Magazine and the equally wonderful Mungbeing.

Copies of my execrable comedy CD 'A Conglomeration Of Jockstraps' are also available now. There's only just over 18,000 copies left so you'd better hurry up. There's a review of 'Jockstraps' here

The 12 Bar Club in London describes me as 'one of the funniest men at loose in his own clothes, his is a Northern English nightmare of puppets, explosions, mental illness, wigs, music and sausage fat. He is unlike any other performer you have ever seen. If you enjoy masochistic laughter: weeping, aching ribs, stomach cramps and peeing yourself, hey, come on down!'...

My monthly band gig at the Blues Bar in Harrogate (1st Sun afternoon of every month) is going great. It's a rare chance for me to play with a full band (brass section an' all) and to play a wide variety of some of my favourite covers...Specials, Clash, Jam, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground to name but a few...Come down and join in the fun!


Keep Well!

Ashley

London comedy gigs next week 10th-13th March

I'll be performing darkly comic songs, poetry and noises from my execrable new CD 'A Conglomeration of Jockstraps' at some London venues next week...

Mon 10th - A Spoonful of Poison! at The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1EW...
Wed 12th - Blang! at the 12 Bar Club, Denmark Street, London WC2...
Thurs 13th - The Perserverance - 11 Shroton Street, London, NW1 6UG...

The 12 Bar Club in London describes me as 'one of the funniest men at loose in his own clothes, his is a Northern English nightmare of puppets, explosions, mental illness, wigs, music and sausage fat. He is unlike any other performer you have ever seen. If you enjoy masochistic laughter: weeping, aching ribs, stomach cramps and peeing yourself, hey, come on down!'...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all ...I'm presently feeling like dogshit as I have the flu and a gross sore throat which is pissing me off something rotten...Hopefully it wont stop me beginning my monthly residency at the Blues Bar in Harrogate which begins this Sunday 6th January at 2.30 pm and then monthly on the first Sunday afternoon of every month. It's a rare opportunity for me to play with a live band these days and we'll be playing soul, ska and reggae classics as well as some punk songs and a smattering of late-Beatles later in the set.

I've been making some art recently in pen and ink , one of which can be seen above and loads more on my website or at .