Mark Ayling – Memories & Ghosts
Considering Mark Ayling has been a life long drummer and finds his inspiration from acts such as The Jam, Motorhead and The Clash, this Aberdeenshire musician has decided to branch out into the world of acoustic music for his debut release Memories & Ghosts.
His vocals are certainly very unique when accompanied by the raw acoustic guitar. He simply shouts the lyrics, on occasions adding a melody as he sings the songs he has written, all of which are rather direct with their lyrical content. There are no metaphors or long-winded story telling from this man, short simple snippets are more his style by the sounds of these eight tracks.
This man is a musician that is able to create not only fast paced melodies such as on Circle of Life but also mellower sounds, something that opens the mind to its style like Perfect Raging Storm. Although it all sounds simple, one man and one guitar, it is the combination of his differing rugged vocal and fast playing punk infused music that makes his acoustic album differ from boring releases where each and every track sounds like all the others. He adds depth to his music through this infusion of punk energy while maintaining the melodic atmosphere and the simplicity of acoustic guitar.
Memories & Ghosts is an arrangement of punk infused acoustic music that is very intriguing to hear and works incredibly well.