Ashes – IUS (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

There is always a lot of talk about genre-hopping artists, or musicians who blend the traditional analogue way of making music with the potential of the digital world. But this still takes place in a small region of the musical map, usually in the realms of contemporary pop, rock, and indie.

Imagine if someone had the foresight to extend such musical merges and melds across an even broader spectrum. What if they could embrace both the power of rock music and the sweep of the classical world, draw on a more orchestrated realm and embellish it with subtle electronic additions, and take the influence of pop, rock, and electronica and turn them into subtle and sophisticated symphonies? Well, they have done it, they are still doing it, and they are called IUS.

Under the I/US Music brand, which covers a wide range of activities, Peter Far, a London-based self‑taught musician, guitarist, composer, and sound artist, does all this and more, and Ashes is his latest album.

Wandering from the dark and delicate to the shimmering and cinematic, this album of instrumental creations is a triumph, and just the title track alone, which first draws us into this sonic world, is masterful. The piano, the dominant instrument of much of this collection, deftly dances as banks of strings wash and weave through, setting the tone and signposting the way.

Tracks like “Quietly” show us the sonic spectrum he is working with, running from an almost solo piano piece to sonic highs, a slow burner gradually wrapping itself with beats and rock-anthemics, heading ever onwards, ever upwards, the use of dynamic lulls making the explosive highs even more dramatic. The temperature rises, the drama intensifies, and anticipation builds until the track explodes and then fades into the night.

By contrast, “We Have To Leave You Behind” is as melancholic and reflective as the title suggests. “Anthem” has all the requisite martial qualities, but is also shot through with grace and grandeur; “Ghost” is an exquisite journey through the beauty of the violin; and “Hope” is big, raw, and full of grit—the perfect way to sign off.

This is musical cross-pollination at its finest, not just blending inspiration and ideas from the 60 or so years of contemporary music, but capturing the scope and seduction, the melody and muscle of a further 400 years of music-making. Now that is what I call the sound of music evolving, I mean, really evolving.