Into Music Review: Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation by Andrew Wasylyk

Artist: Andrew Wasylyk
LP: Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation
Label: Angel Of The North

Having cut his teeth in the indie/folk/rock band The Hazey Janes, Andrew Mitchell, under the alias Andrew Wasylyk has been extremely busy in 2020, releasing an EP with the Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead which Into Creative reviewed here. Following on from that, multi-instrumentalist Wasylyk is about to launch his new LP, Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation on the Edinburgh based label, Athens Of The North.

A follow up to the 2019 release, The Paralian (a dweller by the sea) which was short listed for Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award, it’s pleasing to see this new record retains and expands on the quality of that release.

Kicking off with A Further Look At Loss with its stark piano and strings, the track glides along before taking a slightly unexpected but welcome change of tact, adding an uptempo segue transition which complements the song well.

Last Sunbeam of Childhood includes some background sounds from the playground, the chitter chatter that kids make which play well with the track’s swirling keys and upbeat brass arrangements.

Perhaps the highlight of the album is the sublime Fugitive Light Restless Water which evokes the spirit of Bowie’s Blackstar, a paean of solemn jazz and colourful rainbows of aural sounds.

Wasylyk’s use of tone, pace and subtle sounds is very much in evidence here and it’s exceptionally well thought out, resulting in an album bursting with adroit and nimble musical concepts. Add in some well-placed bird song and waves lapping the shore, set against the hues and textures of late summer nights and dawn mornings, the shimmering sea ebbing and flowing against a moonlight sky gives the listener cause for reflection yet cautious optimism remains a possibility on the horizon.