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review by Dene Bebbington Bill McGee (aka Composure) may have only started releasing albums a couple of years ago but already he has a respectable sized discography and a soundtrack to his name. Ashes to Dust came out in the same year as One Time Around, both these albums have Composure's stylistic hallmarks though this one is a little lighter in sound and mood. As with Composure's other albums, Ashes to Dust has a traditional song structure - there are ten self-contained tracks of which most are somewhere between four and six minutes long. The opener "Mystic Soundscapes" exhibit this artist's penchant for percussive effects. Sparingly used deep piano notes and string synth pads play out over a tapping percussion layer and sprinkles of other background effects such as animal like chattering sounds. After the mystic orientation of the first track the second track takes a surprising turn to the subject of "Working Girls". A percussive hi-hat sound keeps the piece moving along as a tinkling sound forms the main melody, and in parts we hear a man's indistinct voice in the background. The overall effect is not raunchy or tawdry, perhaps it's just a soundtrack for the hard life of working girls. Making a nice counterpoint to the tracks where he overdoes some of the effects (typically the off-the-shelf sounding rhythms and percussion) is the piece "Feathered". This is a relatively subdued track of plucked instrument sounds and gentle synth pads creating a contemplative and relaxed interlude. Also worth mentioning is the track "Storms", nearing the end of the album this is a dramatic piece. Driving rhythms and ominous reverbing synths are interspersed with eye of the storm periods where the rhythms disappear. Adding to the feel of the storm we sometimes hear windy howling sounds in the background. As you can tell, Ashes to Dust offers a variety of sounds and moods. Here there is plenty of evidence that Composure is a musician continuing to develop his talent. This is a pleasant enough album even if it doesn't grab my attention and demand to be listened to like some music does. If this artist doesn't sacrifice quality for quantity and perhaps widens his sonic palette then even better work will surely be in the offing. |
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