After our recent interview with Aaron, we promised to follow it up with a review of Desolate Days, the album discussed at the time. This introspective mainly instrumental album was released in September and is available from the Bandcamp link at the end of the review.
‘The Beginning of the End’ pulses into life with some retro sounding synths. Quickly a guitar melody makes itself known. It flows over the listener, begging to be played in a quiet place, maybe on headphones. ‘A Time to Reflect’ takes a clear sounding guitar riff and builds waves of other instruments over it before a low key synth sequence and heartbeat like drumbeat takes us out. I found this part of the track dragged me in, the looping drums and other rhythmic pulses all combined to make a graceful and peaceful musical moment that let me leave a hectic day far behind.
‘To See Your Face’ begins with ghostly shard of guitar before a picked pattern of notes takes over, and then a faraway voice deliver the emotionally charged lyrics. Fully charged with loss, this is an intense song that defies its simplicity with an extended section that explores the basic musical pattern with sounds shuffling across the musical horizons. Soft and Intense at the same time and quite a thing of beauty.
‘Night Shuttle to Havana’ sets up a mellow rhythm between some low key drums and repetitive synth riffs. There is a slow build up and like all the album its a construction of sounds and not traditional songs, a fair bit unlike a lot of Aaron other band based music as well.
‘Desolate Days’ is dark, the understated drumbeat and in front simple guitar riff makes an effective doorway to dark emotions and vividly paints a feeling of despair. ‘The Five oaks’ continues in this manner. The chiming guitar riffs that permeate this album start to take over the listeners subconscious and allow you to just fall into the music.
‘Repose’ starts grandly with big open suspended chords, a strong walking baseline and whistling synths. The bell like guitar picking single notes of a chord shimmers ontop of all this. It feels like a collision of galaxies, slow, sombre but full of the restrained power of a billion suns. Powerful stuff.
‘The Grand Slowness’ starts with a big synth sound, rumbling in the background and a a retro synth sounding melody. It moves forward in short rushes of sound that are nicely rounded off by rhythmic patterns. Slowly the sound begins to fill out and bleed across the spectrum whilst keeping the slow pulsing main theme intact.
‘Space Souk’ is suddenly off on a departure from the rest of the album. Aarons more ‘trademark’ rhythmic exploration and unusual possibly North African time signatures, are in play. Its sound like a Motorik rhythm from a far away place as if a Kraftwerk of the desert rather than technology and Autobahns.
‘In the ‘Spirit of the Spirits’ and ‘You Can’t Hoard Your Life Memories’ reaffirms my feeling that this album is one of movements not songs.It should be treated as one entity and requires the whole album to be listened to in a single sitting.
This album feels personal, it’s about creating moods. You can feel sadness and confusion at life, but also a sense of wonder. Aaron may be letting some of his own emotions go into this album but he’s also musically exploring whats out there beyond all this.
Words: RBY, Images: Arron Ellis Media, RBY