Monday, December 24, 2018

Presenting ... The Emporium Project - 1point2 (waag_rel124) by Cousin Silas & Friends




"The Emporium Project 1.2 (waag_rel124)" is the second of five albums from Cousin Silas and his Friends, and features another eclectic selection of sounds: Dubby Christmas vibes and the most delightful synths come together with most wonderful soundscape created with bells ... another longform piece in collaboration with Kevin Buckland is juxtaposed against a superbly atmospheric track entitled "Entropy Swamp" ... it is a superb selection.

I could list all the tracks, for they all mean something to me, but I would be here all day. Suffice to say this is another belter of a compilation and I cannot wait for the next instalment.

As before, we will use this series as an opportunity to give a little back to our wider community. All monies raised from the sale of this album will be donated to Hospice UK. I am both fortunate and grateful to work for an employer who actively matches all donations made ... so every purchase will be doubled for the benefit of a very worthy cause.

I really do hope you will enjoy this album as much as I have.

Oh and I have used another of Carrie Favretto's wonderful images to create a Playlist cover. If you are like me ... and have an iPhone ... you will already have a Playlist awaiting this instalment. You now have a cover for said Playlist, another unique image in keeping the series' theme.

- Thomas

Please Note: due to the fundraising aspect of this album, it will not be added to our collection over at archive.org.





Saturday, December 15, 2018

Presenting ... The Emporium Project - 1point1 (waag_rel123) by Cousin Silas & Friends




Coming in at just over two hours long (two hours and nine minutes to be precise) is the first part of the first "The Emporium Project" ... a collection of collaborations that span multiple genres but hold true to their central, uniting force ... Cousin Silas.

On 1.1, Cousin Silas & his Friends bring to the table: longform ambient and unique sounds inspired by ska ... atmospheric soundscapes that use field recordings and tracks that feel like they were recorded in an out-of-the-way Blues club ... dark ambient eeriness and more percussive sounds. It is, without doubt, a varied set, one that will appeal to the curious and the adventurous in equal measure.

As mentioned above, this is the first part of the first Emporium Project ... you can expect four more parts in the coming days and weeks ... roughly ten hours in total and plenty to keep you occupied in the dark days of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere).

As before, we will use this series as an opportunity to give a little back to our wider community. All monies raised from the sale of this album will be donated to Hospice UK. I am both fortunate and grateful to work for an employer who actively matches all donations made ... so every purchase will be doubled for the benefit of a very worthy cause.

I really do hope you will enjoy this album as much as I have.

- Thomas

Please Note: due to the fundraising aspect of this album, it will not be added to our collection over at archive.org.





Wednesday, December 5, 2018

The Fortean Project (waag_rel122) by Cousin Silas & Kevin Lyons



Cousin Silas and Kevin Lyons do it again. With "The Fortean Project (waag_rel122)" they have created another album of dark and atmospheric soundscapes, an album that will soundtrack your wildest Cyclopean nightmares and provide aural accompaniment for your weirdest of unexplainable experiences.

The sounds presented here are deliciously dark and seriously spooky, they have a vibrancy that fans of dark ambient will totally get. I, for one, love them and have spoken before about my fondness for reading HP Lovecraft whilst listening to music of this ilk.

And it is reading that has inspired both Silas and Lyons, reading of the Fortean Times, a British monthly magazine devoted to what is called "anomalous phenomena" on their Wikipedia page. Whilst I am not a reader myself, I can testify to Cousin Silas' love of the publication: he's always talking about it and, when I visit him, he always has a couple of copies lying about. He gets his inspiration from this monthly and I get inspired by him ... and I hope you do too?

As before, my thanks goes to the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.

A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rel122

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Friday, November 23, 2018

Presenting ... Sacred Space (waag_rel121) by Cousin Silas & Kevin Buckland




Of all the music Cousin Silas has released, especially on weareallghosts, I am fondest of his longform pieces. I find his Dronescapes especially fascinating because they have a versatility about them: I listen to them at work when I need to find my flow and block out a busy, open-plan office; I listen to them on the train when I want to dig into a book and block out a busy carriage; I listen to them when I need to rest and block out the busyness of my home and/or my brain; They work for me on a number of levels but, in each occasion, the intention is to escape, to block out, to evade the noise that surrounds me, that could so easily envelop me, if I allowed it to. To me these soundscapes are sacred spaces ... places I can retreat to, my sonic safe-house, so to speak.

It is with this in mind that I approach this appropriately titled collaboration between Cousin Silas and a new entrant to the waag roster, Kevin Buckland. "Sacred Spaces (waag_rel121)" is a series of ambient pieces that provide a place to retreat to ... a place to be alone and to rest and to consider. Pieces that provide respite from the 24-7 always-on culture that appears to pervade every element of our very being.

The collaboration of Cousin Silas' wide-open guitar and Kevin Buckland's equally spacious ambience creates the most wonderful of welcoming soundscapes ... unhurried & unforced, these are pieces for the soul as well as the ears, meditative pieces for taking precious time out, however it is that you do that.

As before, my thanks goes to the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.

A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, on Archive with a lossless version available over on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rel121c

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Sunday, November 11, 2018

Presenting ... Flux (waag_rel120) by Matthew VandenBrook




I have a real fondness for Matthew VandenBrook and his uniquely particular (and particularly unique) version of experimental electronic music.

He pushes boundaries and, at times, challenges me within his prolific expressions ... often leaving me perplexed until (as much through exposure as epiphany) the lightbulb comes on and I get to see (hear) his music through his eyes (ears). "Flux" is such an album.

I cannot begin to describe the sounds featured on "Flux", it truly has to be heard ... to be experienced ... to be worn in. What I will say, however, is that "Flux" is most definitely in keeping with the rest of his body of work and I am proud to present it on weareallghosts.

As before, my thanks goes to the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.

A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rel120

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Saturday, November 3, 2018

Presenting ... The Pleiades and other Astral Overtones (waag_rel119) by George L Smyth




After the warm reception of "Winterfylleth (waag_rel111)", I was eager to work with George L Smyth again and was delighted when he submitted this five-track album that was inspired by the heavenly bodies that easily define our concept of space: we look up in the night sky and can see the Bears or Orion's Belt, and in doing so we dream of what it would be like to be there.

Space has always captured our imagination as humans ... the pioneering spirit of adventure, the unspoilt beauty and the unforgiving environment, that otherness that we so desperately seek ... enhanced by the wonderful imagery produced by the likes of NASA and the futuristic vision of our favourite sci-fi writers and illustrators.

And it is with this inspiration that George L Smyth has created such a wonderful album. "The Pleiades and other Astral Overtones (waag_rel119)" is a fitting addition to the weareallghosts body of work and to Smyth's canon too, an hour or so of the most delightful escapism where the listener is transported to the very bodies the tracks are titled after.

This is truly music of the spheres ... of the constellations ... of the planets and moons above and around us. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support. 
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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Sunday, September 23, 2018

Presenting ... "Twang 002 (waag_rrl008)" by Cousin Silas



Here we go again with another selection of one-take guitar improvs on weareallghosts from Cousin Silas ... along with a couple of bonus tracks.

As before: no edits ... no overdubs. Just one man and his extensive collection of guitars ... pushing the boundaries of atmospheric sound.

Twang Two ... or Twang! Too ... or waag_rrl008 ... however you want to call it deserves another listen. It didn't deserve to be abandoned as it was and I, for one, am glad to give it a home on waag, albeit slightly later than initial envisaged back at the start of the year.

This is the Silas I utterly adore, the atmospheric Silas who provides the soundtrack to my Ballardian daydreams and my Lovecraftian nightmares. The soundscapes presented on this second Twang! collection are entrancing and utterly enthralling, moments of exceptional otherness that transcend the everyday.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release is available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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Please Note: photography by Glenn Sogge, used with permission.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rrl008





Saturday, September 8, 2018

Presenting ... "Live at Vista (waag_rel118)" by Eraser Ears

I am a huge fan of the mid-seventies Tangerine Dream albums such as Phaedra and Rubycon. I love their sprawling nature and the twists and turns that these recordings take.

I am also a big fan of the music of REDSHIFT. Albums like Ether and Halo have left an indelible mark on me. Again, I just adore their sprawling, apparently improvised soundscapes.

It is in this context that I came to "Live at Vista" by Eraser Ears, a project involving Jaime Munárriz, a chap I've known for a wee while now. I almost immediately fell for the improvised nature of this recording and wished, as I continue to do for Tangerine Dream and REDSHIFT, to have been there ... in the crowd ... soaking up the sounds as they were presented in real time.

There is something truly magical about the music presented here ... I could imagine myself standing beside David Toop in some redefined space in Berlin listening as it was presented, simply honoured to be there for the performance.

Alas I couldn't be at Vista and I don't know if Toop was in the crowd or not (imagine if he was?!?!) but what I do know is that I have the next best thing ... a slightly edited / mastered version of the soundscapes presented that day that does stand in comparison with some true heavyweights of the ambient genre.

I am proud to bring this to the waag community and, hopefully, further afield.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

Enjoy.

Thomas

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Music performed by David Llorente, Richi F. Martin, Tino Varela, Miguel Oliveros, and Jaime Munárriz aka Eraser Ears.

Eraser Ears is a project of LiSD/Codelab, the image and sound experimental laboratory directed by Jaime Munárriz, based at the Fine Arts faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

The album was recorded live at Vista for the art festival ArtBanchel 18 in Madrid, Spain.

The recording was edited to remove / correct minor errors and then mastered.

The performance, conceived as a permanent static art piece for Vista, a workspace for visual artists; involved different hacked electro-mechanical artefacts with piezos, analog synthesisers and effects, digital instruments and processed subtle percussion instruments (foam, pipes, and the infamous Orbitator). It went on for three hours, non-stop ... the audience could get in, move around, come back.

Artwork by Jaime Munárriz.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rel118

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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Presenting ... Leftovers (waag_rel117) by Cousin Silas | Tim Jones | Kevin Lyons



Leftovers. The tracks that make up this album were recorded during the week that Tim Jones & Kevin Lyons spent with Cousin Silas in deepest, darkest Yorkshire. That session, back in 2016, was a wonderful creative outpouring that spawned two albums celebrating Arthur Machen's influential weird fiction.

The tracks were recorded at the same time but didn't seem to fit with the theme: they were a little too out there, a bit too noisy, slightly too space for the more earthy nature of Machen's writing; and as such they were put aside ... that is until now.
These tracks do not deserve to languish on a hard drive gathering metaphorical dust ... they deserve to be heard in all their dark, mysterious, atmospheric, radiophonic best!

Radiophonic is, by far, the best description of the music presented here ... for it reminds me of the work created by the Radiophonic Workshop as an accompaniment to the BBC's best science fiction. This is the soundtrack to otherworldly adventures held on planets not previously know to Earth or her inhabitants ... the soundtrack to the dreams I had as a child after overdosing on Starblazer comics and watching Dr Who from behind the sofa.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't easy listening. It is challenging and confusing ... but it is rewarding and I, for one, have throughly enjoyed being totally immersed in these dark ambient soundscapes. Soundscapes that no one other than Silas, Jones and Lyons can and do produce.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel117




Sunday, July 22, 2018

Presenting ... Dronescape 040 (waag_drs040) by Cousin Silas



It has been a while since dronescape 039 ... nearly six months, in fact, and in that time Cousin Silas has released a couple of longform pieces inspired by the Berlin School of electronic music. He's also released the final selection of music created by him, in partnership with Tim Jones and Kevin Lyons; and he's began to rerelease his legendary TWANG! series. He's also been rather prolific on other netlabels, for example with two collections of "Short Stories" on the fab Studio 4632.

But for all that, the dronescapes are what folks ask for.

Just this morning I was lying in bed, listening to 039, as the early light got brighter. There is something truly magical about drifting off with a dronescape in your ears ... that special uninterrupted space where time gets all wibbly-wobbly and your brain can truly switch off.

Dronescape 040 is more of the same, in this regard. It is consistent with the longform pieces that have come before it and fits nicely into the canon. It provides that special space and gives the listener seventy minutes in which they can focus and go with the flow, or unfocus and let go of the flow, depending on their preference. It truly is a magical space and, as before, I really do hope you enjoy this dronescape as much as have and will.

It is important to note that weareallghosts is funded through the money we receive for albums and dronescapes such as this. For us to realistically continue to put out this level of quality in the quantity that we do, we need to levy a small charge for our releases. Please help out by buying the dronescape.

That said, if you aren’t able to then please note a 320kbps version of this release will be available in the next couple of days over on Archive for free.

- Thomas




Saturday, June 16, 2018

Presenting ... Galactic Procession (waag_rel116) by Cousin Silas




I really enjoyed listening to Cousin Silas' first voyage into Berlin School style longform electronic adventures, Unlimited Boundaries (waag_rel114) ... I still do, in fact, and never thought a follow-up would be so hot on its heels.

Galactic Procession (waag_rel116) follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor albeit with a sound that is, again, reminiscent of Virgin-era Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze. It isn't a rehashing of the work that's come before ... either Silas or otherwise ... no, this is wonderfully new and fresh; a richer, deeper electronic sound that beguiles the senses and draws the listener into an otherworldly space where time seems to disappear. This music has a pulse ... it is vibrant, filled with life and wonderfully engaging as it builds in intensity over its 66 minutes.

Galactic Procession (waag_rel116) is a fitting follow-up to Unlimited Boundaries (waag_rel114) ... it demonstrates that Cousin Silas has no intention of slowing down or resting on his laurels. This is Berlin School as I have come to know it and it will sit pride-of-place on my iPhone.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

- Thomas







Saturday, June 2, 2018

Presenting ... Twang 001 by Cousin Silas




As promised, albeit slightly later that I had initially envisaged, I present the first Twang! from Cousin Silas.

I am proud to rerelease this selection of one-take guitar improvs on weareallghosts, proud and happy to bring these tracks back for your listening pleasure. I was not alone in expressing my displeasure when the Twang! series disappeared from view, but I am delighted to work with Cousin Silas to bring them back ... along with a couple of bonus tracks.

No edits. No overdubs. Just one man and his extensive collection of guitars ... pushing the boundaries of atmospheric sound.

Ambient purists beware ... there are beats on some of the tracks within Twang One ... but please don't be put off, these are most definitely Cousin Silas tracks: fluid, languid, unhurried ... and yet weird, dissonant, dramatic ... the kind of music that sits as nicely at the back of the room as it does front and centre ... the kind of music that doesn't demand your attention but it does deserve it!

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive  with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rrl006




Saturday, May 19, 2018

Presenting ... "Organised Vibrations (waag_rel115)" by Kevin Lyons



I always delight in releasing Kevin Lyons' music. I have a real soft spot for his music and I'm not the only one, there are a number of others who really do appreciate his Berlin School-inspired take on ambient electronic music.

Kevin Lyons' latest release on weareallghosts, entitled "Organised Vibrations", is a wonderfully progressive collection of tracks that take me, as the listener, on multiple journeys of discovery. From the Tangerine Dream flavoured opener, "Aum", to the expansive closing track, "A Universe Made Of Glass", this is an album that transports me to the furthest of far flung places and provides the soundtrack to my most intrepid of dreams.

Kevin Lyons draws from his love of film and books, channeling his love for weird science fiction and horror in subtle ways, creating the most exquisitely suspenseful atmospheres that defy definition and surprise the listener with unexpected twists and turns or bedazzle them with their unfathomable beauty.

"Organised Vibrations" is a welcome addition to both Lyons' canon and the collective waag body-of-work.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support. 
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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Saturday, April 7, 2018

Presenting ... Unlimited Boundaries (waag_rel114) by Cousin Silas



This is Cousin Silas' 200th release. Not with weareallghosts, although we do have a good share of those 3 digits, but in total. 200 releases. 200 pieces of music brought into this world for folks like you and me to enjoy. I am both astounded by this and grateful that "Unlimited Boundaries (waag_rel114)" found a home with waag.

"Unlimited Boundaries (waag_rel114)" is a wonderfully peaceful, 60 minute long, electronic piece in the Berlin School style of Virgin Records-era Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze. Cousin Silas allows the track to evolve and grow ... and evolve and grow it does, developing over its 60 minute duration with the introduction of various sequencers and synths to form a wildly creative soundscape.

This is a new direction for Cousin Silas. It follows on from his successful Dronescape series and his previous explorations with the Berlin School on the CDr "Berlin Evenings (waag_cdr004)" ... but goes somewhere new, somewhere uncharted for him ... and I, for one, absolutely love it. Cousin Silas has made good on all the potential that was hinted at in his earlier work, realised that which was pointed to.

And to think, after 200 releases he hasn't slowed down or rested on his laurels. Cousin Silas could easily keep churning out music that plays to his strengths, the familiar, the comfortable; instead he takes risks, tries something new ... and, in my opinion, he succeeds. I welcome this new direction and look forward to seeing where it goes. 

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support. 
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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ambient; longform; electronic; Berlin School; 

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Friday, March 23, 2018

Presenting ... 02BFF2 (waag_rel113) by UNATTRIBUTED



The name UNATTRIBUTED is a play on words.  The artist is a long-time advocate of Creative Commons licensing, which fundamentally incorporates the idea of attribution. The idea of numbering the titles of releases and tracks is derived from a series of releases in which artists are allowed to explore any style of music they want, free from the confines of their percieved identity.

UNATTRIBUTED is a cross-style project that is currently focusing on ambient, abstract, experimental, drone, and noise.

The artist behind UNATTRIBUTED is from the Waukesha, Wisconsin area of the United States.  They were born in the 1960s, and have lived in multiple locations during their career in Information Technology.  Under their previous artistic identity they have released over a half dozen works on several netlabels. I am proud to welcome them to weareallghosts.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons & Tim Jones, and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

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File under ambient; noise; experimental; abstract; and drone;

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https://archive.org/details/waag_rel113

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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Presenting ... The Three Imposters 2 (waag_rel112) by Cousin Silas | Tim Jones | Kevin Lyons



Beginning where the first album left off, "The Three Imposters 2" is further evidence of the creative outpouring that occurred in July 2016 when Cousin Silas, Tim Jones & Kevin Lyons got together to watch obscure Hammer Horror films, eat pizza, drink too much coffee, and discuss their shared love for Arthur Machen's influential weird fiction.

Samples of found sounds, glitchy Radiophonic loops, washes of the most languid synths, an otherworldly choir, and Silas' trademark ambient guitar all play their part to help create something very special indeed. This is weird music for the weirdest of fiction, and it works really well as an accompaniment to Machen's writing and that of other writers in the genre.

This isn't the easiest of listens at times, it can be challenging ... but through such adversity comes reward, and I found "The Three Imposters 2" a very rewarding listen, one that gives again and again. I especially enjoy the reworkings by Silas, Jones & Lyons; they are something of note that bodes well for the future as these three grow and develop further as musicians.

As before, my thanks goes to the original Three Imposters and to Warren Daly … Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

- Thomas

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel112b





Monday, January 29, 2018

Presenting ... Dronescape 039 (waag_drs039) by Cousin Silas



It has been a while since dronescape 038 and in that time waag has released a number of different flavours of our favourite Cousin's ambient music: remixed, one-take guitar-orientated, dub, progressive, and atmospheric; and whilst I love all that he releases, I do have a soft spot for his dronescapes.

There is something about Cousin Silas' longform ambient music that sucks me in and envelops me like a warm Pendleton blanket, comforting me and relaxing me, stilling my busy head and helping me to concentrate; it's hard to describe how much I benefit from these pieces suffice to say they are a delight to me.

Dronescape 039 follows in the tradition Cousin Silas has created: it is a wonderfully atmospheric piece with various textures of sound that interact with each other in the most fascinating of ways ... the tinkle of a piano or the flourish of a synth arrive exactly when they should, breaking up the drone and keeping my interest piqued. I wait, with mounting anticipation, for the next wee moment of brilliance.

And brilliance it is ... this isn't just a longform drone but a piece of the most fascinating ambient expressionism, a piece to be delighted in rather than endured, a piece that will stay with you for a long time to come.

I really do hope you enjoy this dronescape as much as have and will ... here's to the next one!

As before, it is important to note that weareallghosts is funded through the money we receive for albums and dronescapes such as this. For us to realistically continue to put out this level of quality in the quantity that we need to levy a small charge for our releases. Please help out by buying the dronescape.

That said, if you aren’t able to then please note a 320kbps version of this release will be available in the next couple of days over on Archive (archive.org/details/we-are-all-ghosts) for free.

- Thomas



Sunday, January 21, 2018

Presenting ... "Winterfylleth (waag_rel111)" by George L Smyth



Now here's something new: some modern classical music for you on weareallghosts.

I was approached by George L Smyth a wee while ago now with a couple of the tracks that now appear on this album. His email came out-of-the-blue (I'm not a big fan of unsolicited contact) but as he was a friend of Rebekkah Hilgraves and had featured on her show, I was willing to take time out to listen to what he had ... and I am so glad I did!

"Winterfylleth" is the Old English name for the month of October, it marked and celebrated the beginning of winter; and on "Winterfylleth" George L Smyth brings four pieces that each paint a picture of the coldest time of the year.

We kick things off with the warm, nostalgic minimalism of "Leaving My Thoughts"; it is a delightful piece of longform soundscaping that aptly soundtracks the more contemplative aspect of time spent indoors in winter.
From there we move to longest piece on the album, "Forest And Clearing", a soft, delicate piece that could so easily describe the first flurries of snow in a silent Narnia-esque forest at dusk;
After stepping quietly from the Clearing, we have "A Week Unknown" where there is a greater sense of urgency. Could these chords describe the bustle at the shops in the run up to Christmas, who knows? But there is a real change in tempo, a tangible sense of intention and of excitement portrayed.
We then come to the last track, the title track of the album: "Winterfylleth". It is a warm, confident piece of music; one that conveys a sense of making it, the work is over and it is now time to rest.

I really have enjoyed listening to this album and I hope you will too? It reminded me, in places, of the exquisite minimalism of Henryk Gorecki with the odd flourish that did put me in mind of David Alexrod. On  "Winterfylleth" George L Smyth has really demonstrated his musical talent and I look forward to more from him in the future. Welcome to waag!

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas ... Warren Daly … Kevin Lyons ... Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support.
A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, on Archive with a lossless version available here on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

- Thomas

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel111





Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Presenting ... Twang Eight (waag_rel110) by Cousin Silas




Each track on Twang Eight is an improvisation on guitar recorded live in one-take. No edits or overdubs, just one man and his guitar pushing the boundaries of sound.

And I cannot get enough!

From the opening track, "Movements Of A Celestial Nature", with its otherworldly choir and oppressive dark ambient air through to the spacious, light-filled "Summer Sunrise" with its sustained guitar, this is an album that both surprises and delights the dedicated listener.

I have always valued the atmospheric nature of Cousin Silas' more ambient music, Whilst some can make their guitars gently weep, Cousin Silas can paint pictures in your head and take you on whole journeys into the dusky, half-lit world of the imagination.

As before, my thanks goes to Cousin Silas ... Warren DalyKevin Lyons ... Adrian Nicholls ... Drew Miller ... and the wonderful waag community ... for their generous support. A 320kbps version of this release will be available, for free, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

- Thomas

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel110