Ghost Music have recently released their wonderful debut album, ‘I Was Hoping You’d Pass by Here’ and being a close friend I was lucky enough to be asked for some of my artistry, the result is as above, I am very proud to be the visual face of a great record.

But truly, it’s about the music right? And that’s how it should be.

Firstly, these guys, will sleep, eat, talk, and probably fart great music until the Sun yoyo’s over their neighbouring Thames Estuary, much to the joy of the passionate less is more Indie brigade.

Matt Randall, who Ive been friends since I was Eleven, and now more of ‘Plantman’ fame, is in top form here once again (a brilliant songwriter of songs that evokes englishness, and nature which he so loves (I blame his love of The Durutti Column for one, and so would he).

Lee Hall, shares the song writing duties almost equally, and with his diamond fingers adds a wave from the Atlantic to Matts North Sea. With the fantastic, ‘Blackbird Stars’ Lee lowers his voice to almost David Berman proportions, its Lee’s finest of late.

Roy Thirlwall’s track, ‘Queen of England’ feels like catching a Routemaster bus past someones photos in tired honey tint, and is as sweet as folk.

I have to add that Leighton’s track (he even makes guitars, clever git) adds some gentle weight with, ‘Close Your Eyes’ and strangely reminds me of British Sea Power, back when they were interesting.

Each member, in their own way have been interchanging from project to project for decades, for Matt Randall and Lee Hall it all started in the 90’s with Beatglider (of which I also played in, i got that in, yes!) and have evolved some of that sound of then; splintered rock and shifting sound, into now more accomplished, smoother, purposeful stones.

Apparantly, all thirteen tracks are all ghosts of old songs. For me, they have duly been awakened from their chrysalis, and without hearing the originals, have evolved as they were born to be; beautiful butterfly’s and handsome moths, dropping some ol indie nostalgia into your delighted ears.

I gotta say that no song outstays its welcome; time and space, effortless and simple, clear as they are sure footed like the thoughtful plod of reverbed notes that Lee produces on ‘Heart Shaped Holiday’. Along with the welcoming hand of backing harmonies on that track alone, it’s a nod to lo-fi memory lane and a rush of influential record collections all in one, and my favourite song on here.

So with that all said and done, I have to highly recommend of course like many of the great reviews its been receiving… and it looks alright in your hand too.

Well done lads!

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