I'll make a confession. In any music blog or review, whenever I read the term "soundscape", I look the other way, searching for the next review. But I'm happy to make an exception for Thread (and Dave) purposes. This track is interesting because of its shape shifting nature, which indeed makes the soundscape idea valid, with peaks and valleys, a scenery rich and varied with different dissonant parts and various "song" moments. The two melodic sections with vocals are quite good. The first featuring Dave's vocoder falsetto (starting 1'38'') is my favorite, the second (starting 3'11'') is sung in a lower register, different from anything we've heard Dave do so far. I even thought it could be Russ singing this ?
"Remember Me" This sounds like definite 'soundtrack" material to me. Music that is meant to accompany visuals. This is synth-dominated musically with some interesting textures but it is a less effective "song" than the previous tracks. The spoken voice vocal is more than a little chilling in its effect. So this is pretty atmospheric music meant to establish a mood and it certainly does that.
"Remember Me" Sci-fi soundtrack music is what's coming to mind when I listen to this. Not much form in terms of a song, but as a "soundscape" it's effective in creating a mood.
Remember Me I'll remember that Mark nailed this as a soundscape and i see it as soundtrack material that benefits from a lack of structure (that might turn it into a song) but not necessarily vocal wise due Dave's dubious desultory deliberations.
Remember Me As part of the album, this works very well as an eerie, atmospheric soundscape interlude. The vocals are quite heavily distorted and to my ears are more like another instrument adding to the nightmare-ish mood rather than being words I pay attention to. Not a track I would ever seek out as a stand-alone song, but I think it is a good bridge between "Love Will Change" and "I'll Get By". It is certainly an album that is very different to what one might expect to hear by Dave. So far I find it fascinating to listen to.
Remember Me Transition track within the album between arguably more important tracks. The story in the CD helps explain what’s going on here. “Charlie’s Dream” could be added in parentheses to the title of this track as that’s what we are hearing from inside his mind. “It only reminds me of someone I forgot to be” is a pretty cool lyric. The 12/8 groove that pulses through here a couple of times between the synth dreamscapes serves as a nice different counter beat in terms of the album as a whole which is pretty much straight 4/4 for the other tracks. Tension and release.
One copy for sale on Discogs as we speak: The Aschere Project - Two Worlds I mentioned this when we started the album and thought someone here would have snapped it up by now!
UK and CD only in terms of physical releases but also available digitally as a download and steaming on those various sites, at least in the US.
I've noticed that there is one copy on Discogs but unfortunately for me it says "Unavailable in Sweden". I read your story of how you bought your copy via eBay and am hoping I will have the same luck eventually. I'd love to get hold of a copy of this CD (perhaps Dave and Russ could be persuaded to re-issue it?)!
I’m leaving in six days for an eight day work trip so I’m hoping it will still be available when I get back. I don’t like the idea of it sitting here for a week with no-one at home!
I'll Get By. Here we open with what sounds like a female vocal singing a melody. Again we are in a melancholy feel. It kind of moves into a sort of Visage sounding section, and then we get the drum and bass come in and we move into a groove. Again we have Dave speaking under the groove and the female vocal comes in over the top. It builds into a nice change that probably works as a chorus, and again, I find it texturally engaging. These aren't traditional songs I don't suppose, but they sort of imply traditional songs in a non-traditional manner, if that makes any sense. I believe the female vocal here is Sonja Davies... Russ's wife?
"I'll Get By" I would say that the songs on this record are traditional songs in terms of each has a structure and a vocal but the goal here is more about creating a mood. Here, the vocal line "I've got my eye on you" is repeated as it is used to help create a mood (and perhaps a creepy mood). The music itself does not really employ hooks the way a traditional song might but, instead, largely through the use of the synthesizer, creates different textures in sound. I find these songs to be interesting because Dave applies different techniques than he did on his traditional solo material.
Aschere Project (Dave Davies) Love Will Change / Remember Me / I'll Get By 'Love Will Change' is the pick of these three. 'Remember Me' is more an interlude piece expanding the mood of the piece. 'Ill Get By', having listened again is another really good piece. The opening female vocals work well, then the synth/vocoder section around the two minute mark lifts things again. Dave uses his voice well here, knowing it's post-stroke limitations. A really good piece of work so far - enjoying this re-run after probably not listening to this CD for ten years or more. Also, thanks to @Michael Streett for the story. I've not read it yet, put promise I will.
Do It Again (film) I watched it, presumably it must have escaped onto youtube for a while. It was, I guess of some interest, but Edgars came across as an arrogant, entitled no-one who thought he was someone. Also, clearly if you know anything about Ray Davies, as a fan, like ourselves here - you'd know there was absolutely no way Ray would get involved in something like this. Ray operates on a higher plane than this, and is much, much better than this vanity project. It was a bit embarrassing to watch to be honest, as a fan of Ray, Dave and The Kinks, I wouldn't want them thinking all their fans were like this.
I'll Get By Dave flies off into the future accompanied by a young lady and audacious oscillations occurring ambiently! Ok maybe he is flying into the ancient past though that's not Sly's drum machine but there is some positive power at play persuading Avid purchases!
Absolutely, my thoughts too. Albeit I have only seen 10 mins of it, but do remember the hyperbole that Edgers was trying to create around it at the time. It was just an Edgers ego trip, to promote Edgers himself. As I said I recall him swaning around the Boston Arms, not a good look.
Visage yes, some Fade to Grey sounds, it was such a big hit when I was growing up. And I swear I didn't know then that the lyrics were in french (which is another link to Dave's output, if you remember his Versailles days). I must strees out the fact that "fade to grey" is a nice phrase, but "devenir gris" is just gibberish nonsense. Sorry if I digress, it's just that today's track is clearly not a favorite. As far as "moody" music's concerned, I could enjoy the mood, if I was in the mood, but I'm almost never in the mood for that kind of mood. I'm also a bit upset because I wanted to get that discogs copy, but someone else (from the Thread ?) got there first…
I know those Dave self produced CDs were done in low numbers, I can't imagine them going beyond 500 copies per run and doubt he has any interest in rereleasing any of them, so if you see one snap it up. He seems to be content on releasing his canon back catalogue as limited edition coloured vinyl as RSD exclusives - even those are easy snags after the event.
