Ayla Brook & The Sound Men

Recorded in the Prairies without actual drums, 'After the Morning After' flirts with bluesy folk, not to mention a handful of Stones tunes.

I just bought a late-80s mint condition yellow Sony Sports Walkman for $2.50 from a pawnshop in Cranbrook, B.C. $2.50! Mint condition! I forgot how bulky those things are and how inconvenient it is to carry tapes around, but there's something about that hissy sound that winds my ribbon. Call me a snobby analog purist (which I'm totally not), but gimme a rewind button rather than an iPod control wheel any day.

Then, I get handed Ayla Brook's After the Morning After on a cd. That's cool because I still have one of those machines that transfers cds to tapes. Omigod, I still have a blank one right here. Transfer complete (it fits on one side of a 90min!), I strapped on the listening shoes and embarked on a retroactive journey down memory lane. For me, moments with tapes are some of the fondest of my life. I think that's where I developed my shying for the smell of benzene. (Uh, did I just say that outloud?) Anyway, from the moment I clunked down on the waterproof play button, it was like a moment in time met another moment in time.

From the first wheezy note, I knew Brook's first solo record after the demise of his band AA Soundsystem was captured in an instant of time never to be repeated. Recorded at Ayla's farm in Lily Plain, Saskatchewan and produced by the venerable Danny Michel, After is a flaxen nugget of Prairie goodness, complete with dusty lungs and stray bird song – cough it up, hear them tweet, move on. Its realness and intimacy go a long way to helping listeners feel a part of the time and space it was created. This is a record about moments with friends, about making unrepeatable sound, and about creating something so idiosyncratic, you almost don't want to listen for fear it'll vanish. But guess what? I thought Walkmen would totally vanish too, and here I am with a cherry hunk of plastic in my hands, and it's playing this cherry album. $2.50? $2.50!!

Almighty Universe, huge props. Now, if you could just pay down my behemoth student loan and find me a nice girl, I'll really know you're really on my side.

- Panpot.ca

AYLA BROOK After The Morning After (Saved By Radio)
We've heard pretty much every metaphor involving love that we're going to at this point. It's almost shocking then, that when Brook (formerly of Edmonton's AA Sound System) compares love to driving down a dark highway with one headlight working, it's totally buyable. In the face of glaring cliche, Brook has a way of making you nod your head and say, "Yeah, he's right." Mid-album track "Maybe I Could Be Your Man" — a deceptively simple ditty that features just Brook and a ukulele — proves that while anyone can easily put together the parts and labour necessary to make a song, not just anybody can make a song that sounds good. What this disc may lack in wow factor is also matched by its absolute lack of fault. For fans of low-fi twang, After The Morning After is poised to be one of the best albums of the year. Scott Bryson - Scott Bryson

After delivering two albums of beautiful laptop folk, the three members of Edmonton’s AA Soundsystem have gone their separate ways. Luckily for fans, principle songwriter Ayla Brook wasted no time getting back to the studio. Not surprisingly, Brook still pumps out the same kind of smooth roots-rock, but this time the focus is clearly on his vocals and lyrics. With Danny Michel in the producer’s seat, the album is crisp yet warm, offering hand-plucked lullabies and Stones-inspired rockers with equal ease. As hook-heavy as it is thoughtful, Brook’s solo debut is the beginning of something magical.

- FFWD

In true prairie fashion, this singer-songwriter from Edmonton has created an album of soulful, folksy, acoustic melodies that create a very homey feeling and sound like they were recorded on the farm. Maybe that is because they were. The tracks were all recorded at Pine Ridge Farm in Lily Plain, Saskatchewan with a very natural and minimalist philosophy. Instead of drums, foot stomps and hand claps were used. Some extraneous sounds even made their way onto the album such as bird songs, creaking floorboards, and glass clinking.

Formerly of AA Sound System, Ayla went solo after his band mates went their own separate ways. He already had some songs lying around, so after writing a few new ones, an album was born. The songs all have a similar theme of love, belonging, and hopefulness. With only the sounds of Ayla and his guitar throughout most of the album, the sound is very clean, uncluttered, and stripped down of any interfering influences that may mask the naked feel of the songs.


All these gentle soulful songs are so calming and smooth that they have a sort of lulling effect. For a relaxing, dreamy feeling, put on After the Morning After, lay down, and let the music take you away. This is Ayla's first solo album, but he seems to have found his own personal sound already.

- A 'n' E Vibe

AYLA BROOK • AFTER THE MORNING AFTER (INDIE)
After the demise of his band AA Sound System, Ayla Brook decided to regroup
and try his hand at a solo album. Recorded straight up off the fl oor in a farmhouse
in Saskatchewan without the benefi t of a drum kit, After The Morning After
is an almost textbook case of what an ‘organic’ recording can and should sound
like. Handclaps and foot-stomps were used to punctuate the tracks here that vary
from country-cousin acoustic workouts to woozy rockers that exhibit more than just a hint of a certain Mr.
K. Richards in the semi-distorted rhythm guitar grind working in the background. Brook’s voice is a likeable
and engaging presence, and the sympathetic production work by Danny Michel brings the best out of
each tune. Recommended. – Rod Nicholson Performance: B+/Production: B+ - Scene Magazie

AYLA BROOK

After the Morning After

Saved by Radio

4.5 out of five

An easygoing, focused improvement over some of his AA Soundsystem work, sideways little Ayla Brook without studio trickery escapes his Jimmy Buffet urges and takes us through an oddly captivating picture of his life under that cap.

On Worth the Drive, for example, he runs with deadly honesty through a relationship, talking about how he met her at a Swifty's show all the way to the breakup. Not exactly Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend concept album - this is just one song. But still beautifully unpretentious, loose and fun like The Band via a series of hand claps and kitchenware as instruments.

Basically, if I had this album on all the time I'd probably end up tying fishing lines to my toes and dropping out of straight society. As an aside, with all the wicked music festivals going on this year, 2008 has a chance to be one of the great summers. Music like this is helping. It's a nice step back from the power chords of not-so-alt country lately.

The mixing, meanwhile, is stunningly clear, done by local sound sorcerer Johnny Blerot. Danny Michel produces and I agree with every one of his choices here. And Mike Park's Polaroid transfers - the likes of which are currently on display at Cafe Mosaics - are fantastic, too. The CD release party, being shared with The Swifty's, is May 24 at the Pawn Shop. - Edmonton Sun

Ayla Brook
After The Morning After
By Amanda Ash

After The Morning After isn’t a record for the moment. And it sure as heck isn’t a record that you’ll simply shelve away on your mind’s CD rack. Rather, this catchy, pop-infused folk album follows you into those long-term relationships and filters into your future-bound emotions. Ayla Brook, better known as the singer-songwriter for Edmonton’s AA Sound System, wasn’t sure if he’d have a band to play with when AA’s Marek Tyler moved to Victoria and Lane Arndt plotted to move to Toronto (but started a music school instead). So, in lieu of spare time and an empty band nest, he recorded After The Morning After, a solo project that includes a handful of old songs and a bunch of new ones. There’s a humbling sense of community and musical honesty felt throughout the entire record, with handclaps, foot stomps and creaking floors adding to its organic aura. Brook is a wonderful songwriter and an even better vocalist. Listening to “Wake Up Early” is akin to cuddling into a loved one on a bright Sunday morning. “Maybe I Could Be Your Man” has that signature Danny Michel sprightliness (no coincidence there, considering Michel produced the record) and “After The Morning After” just feels so dang good. Even though the other AA boys aren’t on the record, there is no weakness to After The Morning After. There’s only a genuine prairie boy in a bowler hat singing for the sake of song.

First of all, why a solo record?
I wanted to make a record that was a bit more stripped down and a bit more acoustic, even though AA Sound System are only a three-piece. I also wanted to get out on the road. Just because of logistics and time issues and stuff it’s easier to go out by yourself. I just wanted to get out and get myself around a bit easier. It’s just confusing to bill it as AA and have a different band all the time. This isn’t to say that Lane and I won’t ever work together again [but] this is just the project right now and so I needed to focus on the solo thing. There’ll probably be another AA record but whether it’ll be under my name or AA itself, that’s still up in the air.

Were these songs first intended for AA Sound System?
I don’t know. We’ve always done whatever songs I’ve brought to the table. Some of them are a bit more bluesy and country, and the AA stuff is a bit more poppy. These are just kind of the odd ducks. All of the rough edges are definitely still on my songs; it’s fresh.

Did you have a specific theme you were going for or that developed on the record?
It’s hard to say because the songs are coming from such distinct times. But I guess the common themes would be about the clichéd conflict of home. I was on the road when I wrote most of the songs. There are lots of songs about leaving but then there are newer songs about trying to figure out where home is and wanting to get there. And there are a few happy songs on there, which is good. Maybe I’m not totally depressed all the time. The next record is a party record though, for sure.

You recorded with Danny Michel again, who most recently worked with you on the last AA record, Laissez-Faire. Do you guys have each other’s numbers on speed dial yet?
No, but I did talk to him on the phone yesterday. One of my day jobs is to work at an indie record store here in the city, and since he decided not to use a distributor for his new record, Feather, Fur & Fin, I’m kind of the consignment guy who’s been selling his CDs and sending him cheques, which is kind of funny.

Any plans on making a record together?
Oh, we talk about it so we’ll see what happens. I’m definitely open to the option. I want to make a party record, and hanging out with him is always a party, so we’ll see. (Saved by Radio)

http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=122&csid2=852&fid1=31572 - Amanda Ash