SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AYSANABEE – TIMELINES

AYSANABEE
TIMELINES
ISHKODE RECORDS

In one of his last interviews, John Lennon talked about wanting to re-record a number of songs he wrote and performed with The Beatles. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the originals, but he felt they could use updating. With Timelines, Aysanabee has done just that with some songs from his career. This is not an ‘unplugged’ album, with Aysanabee and an acoustic guitar, but rather a reimagining of the songs. The original versions, which are brilliant, are still around, but with Timelines, he reworks the songs in different ways.

For example, for the song “Nomads” he changed the arrangement and the lyrics. It is a powerful song in its original incarnation, but here Aysanabee sounds a bit more melancholic and almost, and I stress the word almost, defeated. The new version opens acoustic intro and builds from there. The backing vocals are striking and Aysanabee’s voice is vulnerable, and it creates an intense mood. Whereas “Home” is more stripped back, and he allows the song some space and time to layer more and more instruments. It is the build that makes this version so distinct. Again, not better than the original, but different, and different enough to make it interesting.

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With “Dreamcatcher,” it is not so much sparse as a very unique arrangement. Here the song relies much more on the piano and this brings out the beauty of the song in a distinct way. Aysanabee revisits the song and does not dissect it so much as rearrange the elements. Either version is powerful and stunning, but here, he taps into the strength of the lyrics and song. “Untie these thoughts that have been binding me,” he sings with a great deal of urgency. It is an incredible song and the arrangement is stirring. Kyla Charter’s backing vocals are incredible, and special mention to Nicolas Tateishi for the layering of instruments.

Timelines allows Aysanabee an opportunity to revisit his first three releases, and rather than releasing a compilation, he has re-recorded and reimagined some much loved and brilliant songs. He could have released a live album, but, again, going into the studio and pulling the songs apart to put back together in creative ways allows Aysanabee to be creative with his past work. He is able to change it but at the same time keeping it as his own is the beauty of the originals While Timelines is a terrific sampler of his work, it does not replace the old versions. What this should do is encourage the listener to turn back and listen to those original works.

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