The Ansion

- recording blog

Headphone Commute - January 2008"When Jon Innes is not playing live, he can be found in his Ayrshire (Scotland) studio layering guitar shoegaze with laptop electronica. Innes' composition is undoubtedly fueled by heartbreak with open ended track titles like Her Resistance To The Mind Probe Is Considerable. Paced reverbed piano chords are complimented with vocoder lines over tight and dry 909 kit (that snare is just right) - what an amazing combination!The concoction of instruments and borrowed styles that synergize together, remind us that at the center of each track lies pure music that makes you feel - and that's the memorable component that we take away forever.That Is The Way Of Things effortlessly flows from genres and is an unbelievable trip when absorbed as a complete album. I'm looking forward to more output from The Ansion. Check out his page and buy the tracks directly from the artist! Recommended for the lovers of Ulrich Schnauss' ambient layers, Eluvium's melodies, and The Album Leaf's approach to drum machine intelligent post-rock.Favorite tracks : Die, You Big Fuck Off Spider, Die and as already mentioned Her Resistance To The Mind Probe Is Considerable."-----------------The Silent Ballet Top 50 Releases Of 200740. "Scotsman Jon Innes et al, aka The Ansion, offer a reprieve to the restless by way of mellifluous shades of emotive sound with That Is The Way Of Things. The collection reveals itself in a refreshing caboodle of live instrumentation flecked with gossamer electronic hues, subtle vocoders, rain stick metronome, and softly pulsating percussive undertones. A true treat for all music fans, the album is veritable head candy and an invitation to lose yourself, for want of a better description, in ether architecture."-----------------Scotcampus Magazine - October 2007"Stirring, startling and stunningly beautiful, there's something almost otherworldly going on here... The kind of music which deliciously washes over you, this is essensial listening."-----------------Angry Ape live review"Rough Guide recently hailed Glasgow as having a ‘happening alternative music scene that few European cities can match’. But had the authors of such a statement traveled further West, they would have surely come across Ayrshire collective The Ansion.Predominantly the work of Jon Innes, his live band effortlessly switch between instrument and machine, while he directs them from his laptop. Creating a sound that strongly recalls The Album Leaf, The Ansion’s carefully plotted post-rock is driven by strong live percussion coated with electronics, while Innes (manning the keyboard) and his guitarist place shimmering, delicate tones across the top.Eschewing the inventive vocoder on the recorded version of “Frogs And Rabbits”, The Ansion instead prefers to change this into an up-tempo slice of electronica, full of fast, staccato machine beats.As the band clinically powered through a set of six songs, you were left almost willing them to let loose. And they finally did during the mesmerizing (and excellently-titled) closer “Die You Big Fuck Off Spider”. For this track The Ansion seemed to step up a gear, starting with an introspective Mogwai guitar line before steering it into a passionate post-rock explosion of soundInforming us that his band hadn’t practiced for over 2 months, Innes’ project seemed remarkably tight. While groups such as The Album Leaf and Motionless have a slight edge for the moment, these Scots will not be left behind in their wake."-----------------Babble And Beat Magazine"It's been very pleasant playing The Ansion in the background here at the office! His music is great for keeping our stress levels down. It also keeps us in a creative state and keeps us awake - without distracting us as we work."-----------------8/10 - The Silent Ballet album review"One part Scotsman, one part electronic, and four parts amazing, that’s the recipe for another great artist on Skean Dhu Records, The Ansion. Although relatively unknown for his previous releases, Jon Innes’s latest release, That is the Way of Things, ensures that we will hear a lot more about The Ansion in years to come. Innes’s influences are evident, varying, and undisguised throughout the course of the album, ranging from M83 to Eluvium. However, The Ansion is not just another electronic project; the album shows Innes’ complete mastery of music and the way he’s able to fabricate an organic sound by overlapping sounds which, in any other context, would seem grungy and rough.To kick off the record, “Introduction Part B” submerges the listener in a sea of awe by melding together intense, fast-pace beats and bringing the listener into the right state of mind to properly enjoy and get the most out of the album. The next track, "Alex Lowell is My Terminator" skillfully balances electronic beats and live guitar playing. The guitar gradually increases in the mix and the beats die down. This winding down is a perfect segue into “The Way You Always Fall Asleep Before I Do,” which changes pace and introduces an ambient feel to the album. Along with the introduction of a slower form of music, the listeners’ mindset is forcibly changed, initiating somber and placid thoughts.“Die You Big Fuck Off Spider. Die” not only displays Innes’s creativity in naming tracks, but also his skill with the production of music. The whole track could very easily be one of Ulrich Schnauss singles, as Innes is able to take a basic ambience and build upon it with rapid, yet tranquil, digital beats. “I Am Afraid of You. What Are You Afraid Of?” is yet again another song for the listener just to get lost inside. The track has a unique sound to it, one which is slow and mesmerizing enough to evoke thought but also fast enough to induce bouncing, yet again showing the mastery that is The Ansion.Any Star Wars fan probably noticed the title of the release (and probably got a laugh thinking about Yoda saying it), and to continue with the Star Wars motif, “Three - Two – Seven” is an epic track which is perfectly suited for the scene in Star Wars: Episode IV where the Millennium Falcon landed on the first Death Star. As the track progresses, it becomes a divine and intense anthem that sums up the overall feel of the album. “10.07.2005” closes off the musical journey, including a piano aided by electronic beats and distorted voices, sealing the deal and leaving the listener speechless and overwhelmed at how well crafted the entire album is.That is the Way of Things is great because of the various aspects that accompany each track, and Innes ability to change pace and introduce new types of tracks as the album progresses. Because of the arrangement of the album, each listen presents new and previously unnoticed musical gems, ensuring that this release will be played over and over.Even the outtakes from the recording sessions, separately released and titled A Day Late and a Dollar Short, are comely and radiant. The Ansion is a unique listening experience which cannot be done justice in words. We tip our hats to Mr. Innes."