Adam Coney Ashwin & Above

Ashwin & Above follows on from Coney’s previous solo work ‘The Fall Of The Flamingo Gardens’ (2014) and ‘Pavilion’ (2019) and once again he’s delivered a twisting instrumental narrative reflecting upon avant rock, jazz, folk and perhaps recalling so called ‘Third Stream’ energies. What differentiates ‘Ashwin & Above’ is the audio’s ability to homogenise Coney’s history as a band practitioner and solo artist into a singular sound. The ‘live’ component of this sound world, recorded over four days, would come to accompany the pre-composed elements Coney had been shaping for over four years. Solo pieces evolved into ensemble energies. Live ‘one take’ guitar parts hunt down pre-recorded wandering synth lines whilst bold drum statements tower over the mix replacing Coney’s previous electronic aesthetic. The pedal-augmented electric guitar gives way to delicately picked nylon strings undulating from a vintage Leslie speaker. The accompanying players (including bass from The Speakers Corner Quartet’s Pete Bennie) colour around, below and above Coney’s principle guitar work. As we’ve come to expect from an Adam Coney record a sense of experimentation and investigation, slipping between genres and moods, from subtly to bombast, offers those listeners with broad sensibilities a truly rewarding experience.