Greg Ashley – Painted Garden
(Birdman, 2007)

This is a solo album from the guy behind the band The Gris Gris, from a couple of years back. I only picked up a copy recently though, and a few listens in, it’s pretty amazing stuff; a rare and wonderful example of how to make a modern day psychedelic folk album that neatly side-steps the universe of bullshit clichés and retro referencing that the term ‘psychedelic folk’ implies, and instead concentrates on getting down a real weird, unique sound, centred around some pretty solid and captivating strange/dark/witty songwriting. An all-round perfect listening experience, in fact, to keep you on your toes for 45 minutes, preferably when the lights are low and the winds are a-howling in the midst of some phantasmagorical swampland mansion of the soul.

Stylistically it’s all over the shop, incorporating dour Leonard Cohen / Tim Buckley type brooding songsmithery, early ‘Lips/’Rev acid-punk chaos, ‘Highway 61’ styled lysergic boogie, Gary Higgins/Skip Spence stoner revelations and, on the extraordinary ‘Sailing With Bobby’, what I can only describe as a surreal, Japanese folk-influenced girl group song, somewhat akin to Moondog collaborating with Phil Spector. Rather than some headache-inducing, tribute-paying mash-up though, all of these elements seem to grow together organically in Greg's garden, all dwelling in harmony and trucking on toward a unifying mellow/sinister groove, rising and falling with loping grace from an eerie and imaginative backdrop of found sound atmospherics, garbled dictaphone conversation, deep, droning fuzz and woozy string arrangements reiterating strange, melodious themes in the distant background. Proper psyche, if you will.

Sounds potentially groan-worthy I realise, but importantly, ‘Panted Garden’ has the good grace to remain totally FUN throughout, with none of that laborious “I know this is boring but PAY ATTENTION” stuff you’re liable to get from certain other contemporary psych-folk chancers. From beginning to end, this record is nectar to the trained weirdness-ear, calculated to raise a “wow…. who’d you say this guy was again..?” from even the most shellshocked record nerd.

Unbottling the spirit of some of your favourite ‘60s cult classics, but having the good sense never to consciously riff off them and consign itself to becoming a head shop museum piece, ‘Painted Garden’ has a great feeling to it that suggests a guy who heard EXACTLY the sound he was looking for chattering away in the back of his mind, went out with his microphones, mixing board, instruments and musicianly pals, and didn't rest until he’d succeeded in nailing down every aspect of it.

To describe a guy who’s already helmed at least one masterpiece album (this one) and nearly a decade’s worth of pretty good ones with The Gris Gris and The Mirrors as ‘worth keeping an eye on’ seems a little patronising, but Ashley still seems to be labouring well beneath the indie-rock radar. Both of his myspaces show little sign of recent activity, and it seems unclear whether or not Gris Gris are still operational, whilst Greg seems to be concentrating more on offering up his services as a producer.

The depth of ambition and sonic expertise revealed within ‘Painted Garden’s soundworld is vast though, and I’d like to think Mr. Ashley is merely keeping a low profile whilst working up material for an imminent return that’s REALLY going to start blowing some minds. But in the meantime, apparently he’ll charge a modest $1200 to do your album for ya. I don't know about you, but I'm certainly tempted.

Mp3s>
Pretty Belladonna
Caroline And The Orange Tree

http://www.myspace.com/medicinefuckdream

Update: Since I started writing this review, I’ve done a bit of internet-aided retrospective research, and acquired Greg’s first solo album, 2002's unpromisingly titled ‘Medicine Fuck Dream’. And on first impressions, it’s astonishing. Obviously home-recorded, it's sparse, loose and lo-fi in comparison to ‘Painted Garden’, but more fragile and open in it’s execution too, and I think I like it even better. As a collection of loopy, insular suburban teenager weird-love songs, it owns my heart from the word go. In fact I think I dig this guy so much, I’m going to have to buy him a Christmas present. Amazing.

Labels: album reviews, Greg Ashley, Psychedelia