by Donna Brown
(out of 4)
It kinda sucks that I felt I had to describe to a co-worker that former Soft Machine member Kevin Ayers was “not the one who fell out the window, but the other one.” It’s not his fault that a) Robert Wyatt fell out a window or b) that Wyatt has had a showier solo career, delving further and further into experimental territory. Ayers has tended to stick more to the pastoral.
It so happens that the pastoral is highly in vogue right now. The success of leftover-marching-band-equipment outfits such as Beirut recalls the bucolic jazz soundscapes of Soft Machine and other “Canterbury scene” bands like Gong and Caravan. That aesthetic is front and center on The Unfairground. Members of Teenage Fanclub, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Trashcan Sinatras, all influenced in some way by the sound Ayers helped create, appear on the album, as well as Ayers’ old bandmate Robert Wyatt.
With all of these chickens coming home to roost – intra-band animosities, young musicians working with their heroes, etc. – the atmosphere could have been fraught with tension. Yet the album has a relaxed, almost playful sound. “Only Heaven Knows” steals the hook from “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” (’cause rain would make the fairground “unfair”!). Little circus melodies pop up with increasing frequency as the album nears its close. And through it all Ayers anchors the proceedings with his rich, laid-back vocals. If you’re looking to mine the rich vein of early-70s English jazz-folk, The Unfairground is the perfect place to start.
Official Kevin Ayers Website
Lo-Max Records Website
