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

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

Presenting ... The Three Imposters (waag_rel093) by Cousin Silas | Tim Jones | Kevin Lyons

Arthur Machen, the Welsh author of the 1890s and early 20th century, is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy and horror fiction. Machen’s most famous work - The Great God Pan - is new to me but is the source of inspiration for Cousin Silas, Tim Jones & Kevin Lyons along with the series of short stories that their latest album is named after, The Three Imposters.

According to Wikipedia, The Three Imposters incorporates several inset weird tales and culminates in a final denouement of deadly horror, connected with a secret society devoted to debauched pagan rites. The three impostors of the title are members of this society who weave a web of deception in the streets of London —relating the aforementioned weird tales in the process—as they search for a missing Roman coin.

It is a book that I yet to read but I am inspired to do so because of it’s impact on Silas, Jones & Lyons; who have taken this impact and created the most wondrous of experimental ambient music. Starting and finishing with a refrain played on a hurdy-gurdy - a sound that sends chills down my spine each and every time I hear it - The Three Imposters is as deliciously dark as the richest of chocolate, as engaging and almost as fattening.

The music featured on The Three Imposters was created during a week together earlier this year. I had the privilege of joining the trio for an overnight. The closest they got to debauchery - while I was there - was watching old horror films (one of which provided the hurdy-gurdy refrain), drinking too much coffee and eating pizza. Whilst I cannot vouch for what happened when I wasn’t there, I’m glad they were inspired by Machen in such a way as to create such a delightful selection of electronic ambience.

Thanks to the support of Cousin Silas and Warren Daly … and the wonderful waag community ... I’m proud to be able to offer a 320kbps version of this release for free over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

Enjoy.

Thomas

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel093

Presenting ... 2 (waag_rel089) by Cousin Silas, Tim Jones & Kevin Lyons

It is almost exactly a year to the day that 2 - the second album from Cousin Silas, Tim Jones & Kevin Lyons - was recorded ... the accumulation of a week of creative experimentation and collaboration between three old friends. Unfortunately I was unable to attend that particular meeting of minds but was delighted with the album when it arrived in my in-box.

Underpinned by Jones’ samples and loops, 2 is a sonically adventurous and wonderfully imaginative journey into more abstract, experimental electronica … whilst Silas’ ambient guitar is present and Lyons’ attention to detail is apparent … this is something more, something rather mysterious and intriguing.

In many ways, this shouldn’t work … three people with three different, distinct styles … but it does and it does in such a way that you don’t know where the extent of the individual contributions reach. This is a collaboration in it’s truest form and it is a real pleasure to listen to.

A 320kbps version of this release will be available over on Archive for free with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’. It is important to note that weareallghosts is funded through the donations we receive for albums such as this. To help us to continue to put out this level of quality in the quantity that we do then please donate. Ask yourself, how much would you realistically pay for a CD? …and remember, everyone who gives something for this album can stream it via Bandcamp.

Thomas

https://archive.org/details/Iwaag_rel089

Presenting ... LOOKING BACK moving forward VOL.001

LOOKING BACK moving forward VOL.001 features new music from Cousin Silas, Kevin Lyons, David Gerard, and Brother Saturn; tracks that will either appear on new releases in 2016 or are exclusive to this compilation.

As with last year’s compilation, there will be a small charge for the music featured during the month of January. All proceeds will be donated to HOSPICE UK, a charity based in the UK that supports the development of hospice care in the UK and internationally.

weareallghosts is my main side-project and something I do for the love of it. My main employment is as a Senior Business Analyst in Glasgow, Scotland; my employer actively and generously supports HOSPICE UK and doubles any donation made by her staff - by paying for this album (22p per track) we will hopefully be able to raise some money for a really great cause and give a little good back into the world.

The album will not be available on Archive although you will be able to stream it on Soundcloud.

My sincere thanks to everyone who released their music on weareallghosts in 2015 … and to Cousin Silas and Kevin Lyons for helping me choose the tracks featured.

Here’s to 2016 … we will feature some new names along with all the old favourites this year. I hope you enjoy what’s to come as much as I do!

Tx



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Tracklisting
01. Cousin Silas - Berlin Evenings (edit) 06:11
02. Cousin Silas - Dronescape 028 edit with guitar 20:16
03. David Gerard - Hypnotique 18:14
04. Symatic Star & String Theories - Compressionism (Symatic Star & Stephen Briggs) 11:32
05. Cousin Silas & Kevin Lyons - The Desolation 11:14
06. Kevin Lyons - Learning to Let Go 07:24
07. Cousin Silas - Dronescape 002 edit with guitar 04:28
08. Symatic Star & String Theories - Yearning (Symatic Star & Cousin Silas) 09:19
09. Brother Saturn - Beacons 14:14
10. Cousin Silas - Returning to Dust (January 1974) 07:13
11. Matthew VandeBrook - Metempsychosis 04:20
12. Cousin Silas - Tim Jones - Kevin Lyons - Narcoleptic Summer 05:24
13. Cousin Silas - Dronescape 030 edit with guitar 11:26
14. Cousin Silas - Further East 07:22
15. Brother Saturn - Snowdrift 04:14
16. Scott Lawlor and The Gateless Gate - Lemurian Shores- (a) Pleasure Garden (b) Temple 16:08
17. Cousin Silas & Kevin Lyons - The Backstreets Of Marsport Ain’t No Place For Tourists 04:56
18. Kevin Lyons - Dark Flow 05:16
19. Cousin Silas & David Gerard - Bagatelle for Harp and Orchestra 03:54
20. Brother Saturn - I’ve Never Felt This Way Before 06:41
21. Cousin Silas - Tim Jones - Kevin Lyons - Radio Dunwich 07:22
22. Cousin Silas - The Other Jezebel 04:09
23. Cousin Silas - Old Tin Hat 04:39

+

a bonus track from Gurdonark: "Constellation Blackbird"

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Presenting ... Internal Furniture (waag_rel076) by Cousin Silas | Tim Jones | Kevin Lyons

Weird fiction deserves weird music.

When I read H.P.Lovecraft, I must do so with weird music in my ears. Over the years, my go-to for the soundtrack has been Emmalee Crane. That is until now.

“Internal Furniture (waag_rel076)” is a deliciously weird collaboration between Cousin Silas, Tim Jones and Kevin Lyons; that was conceived during a long weekend together in Yorkshire.

When the cat is away, the mice will play and boy did these mice play. Fuelled by horror movies, old TV shows and pulp sci-fi novels, the lads came together in a meeting of minds to create something deeply engaging and really rather creepy.

“Internal Furniture (waag_rel076)” is the ideal soundtrack for Lovecraft’s work, a body of music that best consumed in the flickering of candlelight, late at night via a good pair of headphones … or not, if you are of a nervous disposition.

I hope you enjoy this release as much as I do. I look forward to more from this eloquent partnership.

A 320kbps version of this release will be available over on Archive for free with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’ which does include ‘free’. If you decide to download this album here for free, and you can with our best wishes, then all we ask is that you please tell people about it.

Tx



https://archive.org/details/waag_rel076b