"...
Anthony Asher Wright, under the name Ashera, presents a stunning 77
minutes of ambient atmospheres with We Gaia. Living and recording
in Australia, Ashera's latest release is yet another fine and lofty
example of what ambient music is and perhaps should be. Meant to be
played at lower levels, this album has kept me spellbound for the
better part of a week. Each of the 11 tracks on We Gaia are fairly
lengthy, the longest clocking in at just over 13 minutes. Though each
piece is different, I barely noticed where one cut ended and another
began. In my view, this makes the album successful as an ambient release,
as it has the ability to stand on its own as non-interfering background
music, yet is equally effective when listened to with close and careful
scrutiny. I found We Gaia to be firmly rooted in low-key ambience,
with an overall down-to-earth feel. Of course, greek mythology holds
Gaia as the mother of the earth, so it is no surprise that the album
has a somewhat organic texture, while all the while providing ethereal
ambient themes. With this recording, I think it would spoil things
if I were to review it track by track. This is a whole new world of
sound, with familiar elements, but absolutely fresh and original.
To compare this album to another ambient release would be terribly
difficult because We Gaia is in a class all by itself. To my ears,
Ashera is supremely patient with this music, as the progression throughout
is slow and perfectly paced. On a personal note, this album is pure
ear candy for myself as the influences of ambient legends Harold Budd
and Brian Eno can be detected. There are some beautifully subtle vocalizations
found on this album, provided chiefly by Caroline Wilson, and on one
track by Valerie Willemsem. The track handled by Valerie is the shortest
on the album, but it is also one of the most intriguing...her voice
is barely above a whisper against the electronics, and the result
is downright haunting, but in a very good way. Throughout the album,
we also hear heavily processed slide guitar, courtesy of Gary Brown.
Those familiar with Harold Budd, Robert Scott Thompson or Steve Reich
are going to be mightily impressed with We Gaia. This is a soothing,
tranquil masterpiece that must not be overlooked by ambient aficionados
as well as those new to the genre. In fact, if this happens to be
the first ambient recording you've ever listened to, you are positively
on the right track. Ashera is an exciting artist, and hopefully one
that's here to stay... JimmyD
INSTRUMENTAL WEEKLY"
"The
newest release from Ashera featuring heavenly voices, pedal steel
guitar and some of the most outstanding traditional ambient passages
created today. A must have for ambient music connoisseur" James
Jhonson - ambient composer / Zero
Music.
"This
baby gets two thumbs up! ANT can do no wrong. Highly recommended for
maximum zone out modalities. This is bliss. WARNING: DO NOT CASUALLY
DRIVE ON HIGHWAY IN WARM VEHICLE WITH THIS CD PLAYING. (I nearly caught
some unplanned, "off-road" zzz's this morning at 60 mph!) (^;
John
W. Patterson http://www.EER-MUSIC.com"
""It's
a beauty!!! ( We GAIA ) Can't get enough of this CD's nuances. Cascading
nuances that decorate the passage of time like a most precious bloom
of emeralds and saphires. "We GAIA" is a MUST HAVE!!! Peter
Schouten http://www.pyramid-sound.com"
"Ashera
- We Gaia (Self-released; 2002) "We Gaia" is the 4th tour-de-force
of Australian-based ambient-composer Anthony Asher Wright. His both
peaceful, intimate music reflects elements of Harold Budd and Brian
Eno, and that approach hasn't really changed for this new album. The
lengthy album, divided in 11 tracks, lingers on just over 77 minutes
and again has the ability to capture the listener from the beginning.
Warm, engaging soundscapes slowly float on and on, sometimes blending
masterfully with some beautifull female vocals and whispers placed
in the background. Next to that is a new addition to Ashera's music:
some perfectly matching lap steel guitar played by Gary Brown adding
an extra level to Ashera's . This music really makes you drift away
and listening to it is a exceptional experience as such. Those familiar
with music of Liquid Mind, Exuviae or the floating music of Vir Unis
should really take notice of this talented musician from Down Under.
Highly recommended ! Bert Strolenberg Klem issue, The Netherlands
"
Gorgeous
slow-motion sparkles glint (and slide) across the aural draperies
of In The Beginning... long, rangy tones drift in airborne waves.
New parenthood has toddled into Wright's themes; more softly-piled
tonedrones are held in Her Tiny Hands and Mother... stretches on gentle
stop-and-start synth-breezes, with the faintest of metallic streamers
emerging as the piece evolves. A tad darker though still lovely, They
Are Leaving shifts into lower registers of a more wary air, though
Expectations... soars back up into sunlit heights of shapelessly swirling
clouds. With spiraling golden currents, Warmth (13:29) emits exactly
what its title implies. Uncharacteristically brief, Welcome Gaia (1:50)
features Valerie's voice though it's mostly indiscernible in the chiming
haze of notes. 77.5 luxurious minutes conclude with a final subdued
flourish, Forward, Into The Light. Not simply "definitive ambient
music", but definitive great ambient music... for We Gaia is all those
things. Uncluttered musicality leaves itself open for considered interpretation
or just to decorate your atmosphere with pastel sonic hues. Another
upper from Down Under. A is for Ashera. (Just a few more tastes of
those pedal steel expressions would eked out an extra + outa me!)
- David O. ( Ambientrance.org )
It was once
said that ambient music should be, "as ignorable as it is interesting".
With this in mind, Anthony Wright sets out to realize his wonderful
recordings under the name Ashera. With his album, We Gaia, he offers
11 tracks of drifting sonorous sound-forms that provide as much for
the prone dreamer as for the critical analyst. According to Wright,
"the intent behind the music of Ashera is that of peace, introspection,
visual exploration, healing and hopefully some poetic inspiration."
Intentionally ambiguous, Wright muses that We Gaia might, "Let the
listener create their own dream with the 'tools' and 'suggestions'
given." Warm synth pads, breathy voices and reverberant piano call
to mind luminous nights and the pace of nature. The album imagines
a safe place with many of the details left in shadow and sustains
the same contemplative mood throughout its run. We Gaia saturates
the listening space with sonic perfume and fills the spirit with serenity
through its gentle timbres, harmonic complexity and intuitive pacing.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 14 April 2002
Australian
Anthony Asher Wright, also known as "Ashera," returns with another
album of feather-soft, ultrarelaxing music. Wright plays the synthesizers
and keyboards, while his friend Gary Brown plays a selection of vintage
guitars, most of them electric.This is no "power sound" though Brown
drops notes into the pool one at a time. The sound is complemented
by the caressing female voices of Valerie Willemsen and Caroline Wilson,
who sound like angels in bikinis, the sensuous beauties of some impossible,
perfect resort. There is no rhythm, only the slow wavelike undulations
of note on note, gliding on a sea of reverb, with some understated
percussion here and there or some nature sounds of rustling and tweeting.
There is a definite Brian Eno influence in some of the tracks, but
"Ashera" has a fairly characteristic style all his own. The Ashera
sound is tropical, watery, languid, the background to fantasies of
misty shores and shimmering oceans. There's hardly ever a "dark" moment
the harmonies rely on those warm ambient standards of French-impressionist
eleventh and thirteenth-chords, or on even simpler notes in thirds.
One standout track is "Mother…" which swathes the listener in fluffy
layers of synthesizer chords, while clear little bells tinkle over
the virtual cradle. The next track, "They are leaving," is quite different
and is the closest that this album gets to "darkness." A weird alien
mooing repeats in the distance under mildly foreboding synthesizer
textures. Track 6, "Expectations," is a flood of ecstatic tones, almost
narcotic in its intensity, and probably the best track on the album.
The titles of "Reef Beach" and "Warmth" (tracks 7 and 8) speak for
themselves I'll listen to something titled "Warmth" any day. The
last track, "Forward, In To the Light," drifts you off into a sun-kissed
Aussie neverland. I highly recommend this album to those who yearn
for a virtual vacation on a gentle, friendly Earth where nothing harsh
or violent intrudes and nothing can go wrong. Hannah M.G. Shapero,
EER-MUSIC.com 3/26/02 P.S. Thanks to "Ashera" for their kind mention
of me in the album credits but they spelled my first name wrong. It's
Hannah with a final H. Some proofreading is also needed in the titles:
Track 1 is misspelled "…Begining" instead of "Beginning." EER-MUSIC.com
Editor's notes: It seems "ANT" aka Ashera can do no wrong in spite
of spelling errors, as John Patterson in the CD credits is spelled
JHON PATTERSON -- oh well. What is superb is this MUSIC! I too received
this demo and it gets repeat plays now alongwith my top 25 ambient
listening materials At times I seemed to hear a stringed machine similar
to one Jim Bartz is using these days so some of We Gaia had that Pictures
of Earth and Space feel. This baby gets two thumbs up! ANT can do
no wrong. Highly recommended for maximum zone out modalities. This
is bliss. WARNING: DO NOT CASUALLY DRIVE ON HIGHWAY IN WARM VEHICLE
WITH THIS CD PLAYING. (I nearly caught some unplanned, "off-road"
zzz's one morning at 60 mph!) (^; John W. Patterson, Editor: EER-MUSIC.com
ANT, you just keep getting better! Bravo! We want more!
