Mark Reed
Here is the review of Mark's new CD
by Gordon Shears:
“Summer Dreams, Haunted Themes and a Shaggy Dog’s Tail”
Let me start out by admitting that I am an admirer of Mark's playing, and have been so since I first encountered him at the FaB Club early last year.
His speed and fluency on the six string in particular have always impressed me a great deal and he has lost none of his facility on this, his latest CD. “SDHTSDT” (for ease of typing!) is a solo album in the truest sense of the expression, with Mark having written, performed, recorded, designed and produced the whole package.
I was more than happy to be offered the chance to review it, even though - as much due to the range and depth of the instrumental parts involved, I think - Mark didn't reproduce any of the tracks at the recent FaB Special, and we instead were treated to a half a dozen or so examples of his previous work and a couple of strong jazz covers. Not a bad deal, in the circumstances!
Let me then also get my one over-riding reservation with this disc out of the way before we really get under way - the recording/mix really does Mark's playing less than adequate justice. It is - for want of a better word - crowded. I've done some recording along the way, and dabbled in the dark art of multi-tracking, and one of the biggest problems is giving the music room to breathe - too much echo, or reverb, and you wind up sounding like you're playing in a bucket; but on the other hand, too little space and it sounds like every instrument has crowded around the microphone, jockeying for position and not leaving space for the ear to properly differentiate between the sound sources.
There is no one, single, magic solution to this particular problem - at least, I've never found one - but it is always a disappointment when this crowding out takes away from the power and expression of the music – and there is a lot of music, and a range of ideas, to find and appreciate here.
But to happier things. We have nine cuts to look through, all (of course) originals, with a cover full of pastel shades and a small insert detailing the track list and providing a single short phrase in explanation of each. And to generalise once again, each track really does do what it says on the tin - or the liner, anyway - and the CD (which clocks in at some 27 minutes or so) comes through as a package of impressionistic music well suited for running through the headphones and letting the imagination conjure up what it will. I've had the music backed up on my laptop for a couple of days now, and it has also served well as backing music while performing a few more mundane PC tasks.
Time for a track by track.
“Ballad of Taliessin” (an Irish jig/reel) – is exactly as described and evokes pub (or FaB club?) improvisations. I think I hear the dulcet tones of a guitar synth taking the part of the necessary Celtic instrumentation. It comes across as a reasonably restrained reel – perhaps about halfway through the evening, past the enthusiasm but not yet into the inebriation – leading comfortably into the rest of the CD.
“The Spook” (a haunted theme) – is a stronger piece, heavier on mood and with more space. Initially I thought the bass string was out of tune but on repeated listenings maybe not – the effects can drag the sound and hold it back a moment or two just as easily.
There is a lot of echo and phase/flange spread across the track – the “bucket brigade” is out in force (sorry, jargon alert – a bucket brigade effect is one which passes the signal through a series of short delays hence producing (inevitably) delay and, with some adjustment, phase or flange. These effects originally hark back to the late 60s and the ;acid; rock sound although some have been claimed as studio innovations on the part of the Beatles and George Martin, their long-time producer, The reason for this extended explanation is that Mark makes a lot of use of the characteristics of such effects, laying down a lush carpet of sound to set his instrumental work against).
In fact, this particular title moves close to ambient /mood music. Waves of sound sweep across a carefully picked arpeggio in the refrain, leading back to a swooping, heavily treated lead against chiming chords.
“Shimmer” (an early morning mist covered lake) slips into the realms of progressive rock. There are shades of Caravan in there, with a pan pipe in the background. It’s again a very ambient track, to lapse into a rather lazy description, but it has that characteristic reflective air. It could be said that a couple of Mark’s melodies are not particularly strong – or at least not well defined – but that it is more a question of the instrumental lines setting off against each other to create, or in turn resolve, tension.
“Silhouette” (dark and light, a musical expression of that theme) is the longest track on the CD and the first chimes of the guitar are reminiscent of Twelfth Night, drenched in echo and either some seriously chained FX pedals or maybe more likely a multifex box. The lead guitar sound is perhaps a little buzzy rather than biting but it fills out and we’re again in the realms of Caravan, or maybe a few touches of Steve Hackett. I’ve commented elsewhere that Mark casts his net far and wide and fuses his influences into a unique voice.
There is some very fluid and lush lead work, and the piece works best when it draws the listener in to appreciate the patterns rather than when it blasts out with the heavier sound. Another ‘visual’ composition, I feel.
“Shadows” (ominous moods) – and of course the longest track is followed by the shortest. This is a cyclical and therefore rather repetitive piece which builds incrementally, single lines moving into chords. It is a solid filler but doesn’t retain the interest as well as its neighbours.
“Walking the Dogs” (light hearted jazz piece) – sets off with a pre programmed backing, not exactly in synch, but of a tempo suitable for being pulled along by dogs – yes I can imagine a dog walker with several lively animals marching along with this one. March of the Dog Walkers, that’s the one.
The synth brass helps it to cut loose from the moody overtones of the rest of the CD, and the percussion (digital?) drives it along. Mark gets the opportunity to cut loose with a strong and distinctive lead break as the track moves on, although it stops with a shock on a Shadowsesque chordal passage..
“Distant Lights” (Irish jig/reel) – has a drone which is 21st century authentic – that synth again? - but could maybe have gone with a little percussion to emphasise the rhythm?
The triplets are as lively and flowing as ever and this would make an excellent exhibition piece. It ends with a sustained chord of the type popularised by Dave Greenslade on his Discworld album – of which Terry Pratchett memorably commented that it lets you know the folk music is over and it’s safe to come out now…(!)
“Iron Wheels Roll” (pounding of the steam train) benefits from a strong electric guitar being overdriven right across the track with a descending/recovering fill which is almost a signature within Mark’s current playing style.
There are shades of 50s rock and roll in the backing, and in the breakout solo – especially when a sax voice also shoulders its way in and widens the sonic palette.
“Hawthorns” (gentle guitar piece) – the last track on the CD opens on a 12 8 pickup – a solid and reliable acoustic backing with a lead that dances across the fretboard – then the two seem to cross over and fill in spaces.
The piece turns into left field and a very jazzy feel with a burst of harmonics and a couple of those famous fretboard-spanning runs. A chordal passage with a touch of chromaticism and a mysterious exchange of chords fades out into silence.
Well we’re at the end and it’s time for a conclusion. Having listened to the CD half a dozen times I have found this to be a very welcome package of music which highlights Mark’s technical skill without sacrificing emotional intensity or his range of ideas and inspirations. Putting aside the single criticism of the overall technical mix, I think this would find a niche in the collection of anyone who has a taste for modern instrumental and/or ambient music.
Gordon Shears
October 2006
and on the links below
to find out more about Mark!
http://www.soundclick.com/markreed
http://www.soundclick.com/mrsolo
bravenet.com