Agk - The Liking Of Things Reviewed

Three years ago, the minimal, mournful elegance of ‘Pling!’ put AGK (or Ackers & G, as they were then known) firmly on the map of interesting artists to watch. An instrumental track picked by Pete Lawrence to open the downtempo side to The Big Chill Loves You compilation, it remains one of those haunting tunes that always leaves you wanting more.

Having the good fortune to bump into Paul Gathercole - the G in what then became AGK - at every Big Chill under the sun, a fuller picture of their talents has been slowly emerging since then. Intelligent, affectionate versions of ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Rattlesnakes’, ’50 ways to leave your lover’ and Nick Drake’s ‘Black-eyed dog’, along with a whole album’s worth of instrumentals, revealed AGK’s unique equipoise, where romantic passion and flamboyance are delicately muted and held in check by impeccable electronica. Live performances have similarly shown them growing in confidence and panache.

Thanks to Paul’s generosity with his music, I’ve had my own ‘Best of AGK’ as a constant companion for a good couple of years now. So to say I’ve been looking forward to this record is a bit of an understatement, although I must confess I’ve also feared it would simply play it safe by gathering together their finest hours from the last four years’ work.

Not a bit of it. From the bold title track that opens ‘The Liking of Things’, it’s immediately apparent that AGK have made a dramatic leap forward, fuelled by a clutch of tremendous new songs and an absolute mastery of their sound. But when you know that the shift from Ackers & G to AGK was spurred by the addition of Kevin Paul, Mute Records’ studio engineer, and that the album was mastered by Simon Heyworth, who’s recently been remastering Brian Eno, Scott Walker and Nick Drake’s back catalogues, everything falls into place.

That particular combination of names provides an excellent introduction to what makes AGK special. Fusing a distinct pop sensibility with soul-searching intensity, ‘The Liking of Things’ is a passionate, grown-up record with one foot in the past but five more, as it were, in the present. So while Japan, The Associates and Talk Talk are all relevant reference points for their work, there’s an energy and buzz to tracks like ‘Deeper’ and ‘For Shame’ that’s all their own. If Big Chill Recordings were to put out the former as a single, I have no doubt it could hold its own on daytime radio against the likes of Goldfrapp.

In large part I’d put this down to the many strengths of pitching the rich humanity of Ben Ackland’s voice against the artfully spare arrangements that AGK specialise in. In an age when rock ’n’ roll and rough edges rule, it’s unusual to come across such a lush vocal stylist, deeply poetic yet never straying into camp or self-indulgence. In this respect, AGK are steeped in the art of restraint. ‘Today / Yesterday’ anatomises a whole way of life in carefully paired, gently elliptical lines. Similarly, ‘The Shortest Romance’ and ‘Stranger To Me Now’ are quiet obituaries to passions that have passed; the sense of carefully controlled emotion speaks volumes.

The sunset bliss of ‘Bright Bright Day’ and the electronic coda of ‘Sarankot’ bring this fine album to an appropriately pensive close. Having traversed pop, passion, melancholy and wry reflection, ‘The Liking of Things’ rubs off on the listener, reminding us how good it is to be alive. In just under 50 minutes, you feel you’ve come a long way. AGK certainly have.

Freddie B.

Written: 15th Sep, 05
Read: 4920 times

Agk - The Liking Of Things Reviewed

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