Member:
ffroyd
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by ffroyd)
Date:
11/2/2008
Format:
CD (Album)
Having released the excellent Particle Theory earlier this year with his band, Neil Campbell is back with something entirely different. Whereas that disc had been upbeat space fusion, Ghost Stories has much more subdued approach concentrating mainly on classical guitar.
Also appearing on Particle Theory, Anne Taft lends her beautiful soprano voice to this project as well. The wordless vocals add a powerful expression to the music. Folk out there that are familiar with Kard Estra might also want to look into this album. The approach is very similar in many ways.
Michael Beirt is the other musician involved here. He provides electronic soundscapes and treatments to accompany the guitar playing. While his contributions seem to be rather sparse, they do add a mysterious edge to the mood of the music. When I had first played the album I almost wondered why they Neil decided to call it Ghost Stories but the more I listen to it, the more I get the eerie disposition of the pieces.
The CD has thirteen tracks; the first ten make up the “Ghost Story Suite” which lasts nearly 30 minutes. This is a very beautiful set of songs and while I would say I probably like it a little less than Particle Theory, I still think it’s a wonderful album. For those of you out there who like stuff like the lighter side of Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips and the previously mentioned Karda Estra, this music is definitely worth investigating.
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