This is a somewhat unusual approach to an album, as multi-instrumentalist Ashley Davies has composed 10 instrumental tracks which fit in with the 10 Lasseter series of paintings by his uncle Len. Harold Lasseter was an Australian gold prospector who claimed in 1929 to have found a fabulously rich gold reef in central Australia, but he was never able to rediscover it and died a few years later when he was separated from others in the expedition. This is a well-known story, and I’ve even seen a documentary on this, and Ashley’s uncle Len, who was a prolific artist, painted 10 pictures telling the tale, and it is these which Ashley has used as the basis for the album.

Although he is a multi-instrumentalist, Ashley has also brought in other musicians to assist, most notably Bryony Marks who gets a credit on the cover for her string arrangements. The album itself is mostly instrumental, and there are times when it is reminiscent of the early Sixties guitar bands, but there is a lot going on here and there are times when it sounds it could be part of the late Sixties prog scene when anything goes, modern classical, but for the most part it does feel like a soundscape which is what he was aiming for given that each track relates to a different painting. This takes us through different emotions, and one can hear why Ashley has won awards for the film he developed using this music combined with the paintings. They are different sides of the same piece of art, in that the music is amplified when looking at the paintings, which also have more meaning when the music is put against them. Fortunately, I have the paintings as well, so can see them as a set.
Solid as opposed to exceptional.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://ashleydavies.com.au/
https://www.strangeloops.com.au/