With a previous career as C-Sides, this veteran Magenta/Robert Reed offshoot from Wales, had the distinction of releasing two killer albums, namely 2020 ‘Purple Hearts Corner’ and the incredible follow-up a year later with ‘Different Plain’. Their other three releases in my possession were a notch below, in my opinion, which sort of snuffed out my fascination, as their last ‘Fox on the Road’ did not impress at all. Well, something must have clicked, because the exact same crew, rebranded them selves as Ash Wing and remodeled their sound. Sian Elson not only sings like the wind, she has a very original tone to her voice that makes her instantly recognizable, a rather rare but very compelling feat in feminine prog vocals. Martin Rosser is a veteran guitar slinger, who can rival the very best anywhere. Allan McCarthy on bass and drummer Allan Mason-Jones form a tight rhythm section that keeps the eye on the prize. Any album that has the amazing Peter Jones on sax and flute is immediately blessed with extra star power. Rob Reed and Kevin Dawson add all the ivory arsenal one could hope for to fill out the sonics to the fullest. I rarely need a couple of auditions to adapt my ears to anew style or album, and it was the case here. I guess I was too distracted the first time around the merry go round because nothing stuck. Experience whispered in my ear the words patience and focus and was duly rewarded.
The forceful “Millenium” exudes a gritty raunchiness that worked when I finally paid attention, the Elson voice completely beguiling, shoved along by the shifting and oblique pace with a solid concentration on rhythmic riffs from Rosser. It was just an appetizing set-up for the extensive “From My Window”, a nearly 9-minute midnight rambler that emitted memories of the first Heart album, the rock more upfront than the prog. The instrumental mid-section is dastardly propulsive, with stunning drive from the bass and drum battalion, while the assorted keyboard adornments fit perfectly with the gritty fretboard swerves, especially later on as the mood gets somber and forlorn as if lost in some subterranean grotto. The bass and guitars echoing off the slick cavern walls is a highlight moment on this track as well as on the album, bleeding into the delirious whirlwind saxophone on “Its All Change”, a massive leap forward in intensity and now showing off crystal clear prog leanings, albeit in the more Zeppelin-esque style (you see, the earlier Heart comment was appropriate!) with Sian milking her Robert Plant meets Kate Bush impersonation with impudent confidence. Rosser also knows how to impress with some gritty interventions. Incredible progression from the first track to here, Wow!
No silence between the tracks , each one flowing into the next like a suite, “Shadows of the Crows” maintains the atmosphere ‘with another something’, Elson baring her soul as well as her voice control, an incredible combination of velvet and leather in her delivery, at times sweet, sorrowful and insistent, then unexpectedly playful, the arrangement loaded up with all kinds of effect-laden accoutrements, finished off with a destroyer axe solo, and a third section that plunges the listener into an abyss of delirium with jagged sounds that would confuse even the most astute fan. Weirdly fantastic!
Here comes the core 12 minute and something epic centerpiece which ultimately will seal the fate of this recording before we even get halfway through. Its that incredible! “In Our Darkness” is a tour de force that needs to be not only heard but also absorbed into our soul, Sian’s voice and a pervasive saxophone leading the way. The menacing bass undertow dares not to slip, after all the mood is blind to the obscurity surrounding the perilously fragile voice of the lead singer who does a masterful performance. The percussive work also conspires to create as much tectonic confusion as possible, as if showing there is no way out of ‘our darkness’. This in a live setting will go down like a storm, flickering phones battling with lighters for attention, losing oneself in the swirls of emotions that music can channel, seemingly at will. The long tunnel out is just a repetitive pulsation, with clanging guitars and that suave sax showing the road ahead. Easily among the best epics heard in along time.
Mister Jones’ flute provides a momentary lapse of dread, a pool of sweetness where Sian’s voice exudes a Beth Gibbons (Portishead) tone on “Why You Run in Circles”, a brief window of sanity before dipping back into the fun times, ‘a dooby-doop’ chorus within a straightforward saxophone drenched musical window called “Only You Know” that relieves all the internalized tension amassed along the way. This segues into “Thin Disguises”, a more serious analysis of the human condition, ‘the slow decaying mind’ with Elson and Rosser exchanging hidden glances, McCarthy and Mason-Jones suitably undressing the imaginary crowd. What else than another saxophone flurry to raise the temperature one more time, but Sian’s voice emulating the brassy instrument is quite a showstopper! (Normally, it’s the other way around!). Impressive.
Like stuck on an out of control playground carousel, the dizzying rotation on “The Fox and the Crow” is to be enjoyed both vocally as well as instrumentally” There is a massive Kate Bush-influence in the woozy vocal arrangement, the bass thumping wildly in opposition to a bruising organ surge, tossing a brief sax outburst and a shadowing blurting of a voice losing its balance in the whirlwind. Crows cawing, deranged laughter, vocalizations emoting more than one mania, a fitting end with a few seconds of complete silence.
If this would have been a debut album , it would get a great score, but since this Ash Wing is an ongoing phoenix, what the hell! Damn the torpedoes, Alaaaaaarm! (Das Boot).
5 residue ailerons