Presenting ... "Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" by emptywhale

I have a black-and-blue mark on my arm … its been there for a long while and won't be disappearing any time soon. Its there as a result of my need to pinch myself each and every time I listen to the music on weareallghosts.

I need to pinch myself to ensure I am not dreaming … that this wee netlabel isn't in fact some ridiculous fantasy of the calibre of an episode of Dallas. The music I have had the privilege to release is truly exceptional and some of my favourite music from the last year and a bit. I don't say this enough but I am so honoured that folks have chosen waag to release their content … it is nothing without their contribution.

Take "Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" by emptywhale for example … what a belter of an album this is. I've had it for a wee while and it astounds me every time I listen to it.

"Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" has an otherworldly quality about it that just fascinates me  … I hear something new with each subsequent listen.

From the opening refrain of "The Boy Who Could Hear Colours" through to the closing of "Seeking Reason" I am captivated by the care and attention emptywhale has poured into this release. His piano playing is exemplary and his use of sound to convey an atmosphere is simply remarkable - it is dark and brooding … almost Lovecraftian in suggestion.

This release could so easily be the soundtrack to some spooking French drama like Les Revenants … this is not to decry Mogwai's stellar soundtrack but to point out that "Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" has a similar power … an equally eerie ability to astound whilst simultaneously entertaining.

I also love the artwork that was prepared for this release. I'm only responsible for releasing this album ... the photo used on the cover is by Melissa Ricquier and the art direction was by CK aka emptywhale himself. I think its stunning and I'm not alone ... whilst I'd love to take the credit, I can't.

I hope you enjoy every second of this release as I have and continue to do.

As always an MP3 version is available on Archive for free with a lossless version available over on Bandcamp for 'pay what you want'.

In addition, please note that emptywhale has ascribed this release with a Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license. This license lets anyone remix, tweak, and build upon "Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" non-commercially, as long as they credit emptywhale and license their new creations under the identical terms. If you are interested in remixing "Some Hollow Lullabies (waag_rel025)" or tracks from it, please let me know … I may release it on waag!

- Thomas



http://archive.org/details/waag_rel025

Presenting... "Dronescape 007 (waag_drs007)" by Cousin Silas

I have discovered a new pleasure ... lying in my hammock in my backgarden listening to Cousin Silas' dronescapes.

I live in Scotland so I don't get many opportunities but when I do ... like I did today ... it was simply stunning.

The 7th instalment in Silas' Dronescapes takes the series forward ... it is 72 minutes of floaty, blissed-out, musical sunshine. It fitted perfectly with a lazy rest-filled day in the garden ... reading and recharging in the sun.

I've never liked the tag 'chill out music' ... I've always considered it a lazy term ... but today, after experiencing a wonderfully chilled out experience, I can happily call this dronescape 'chill out music'.

It is music for rest ... and I, for one, have benefitted considerably from it. I hope you do too.

As before, an MP3 version is available over on Archive ... with a lossless version available over on Bandcamp for 'pay what you want'. Feel free to pay £0 for it ... but if you do ... please tell everyone you know about it.

Presenting ... "Like a pelican of the wilderness (waag_rel024)" by Scott Lawlor

My sincere apologies to Scott for not posting this sooner ... but life got in the way last night with our washing machine packing in.

That aside ... this is a cracking longform ambient soundscape ... a real belter from Mr Lawlor and I am proud to have it within the waag canon.

Here's what I had to say over the weekend:

Sometimes only a longform ambient drone will do. 

This is a thought that I regularly have when I need to be in *the* zone … the special place that I visit when I need to get deep and concentrate.

I am blessed at weareallghosts to have so many options for a soundtrack to this special place … and I am proud to add - "like a pelican of the wilderness" from Scott Lawlor - to my arsenal. 

It is an utterly beautiful piece … full of light. It is the soundscape for a truly open space. There is, however, an air of mystery … a sense of the unknown that underpins this space.

Think Dyer and Danforth as they scale the heights of those mountains in H.P. Lovecraft's seminal classic … "At the Mountains of Madness" … and arrive at that cyclopean city in the sky ... and you'll get what I mean. 

I love it. It makes my heart sing and brings me the sense of contentment I need to achieve and maintain focus ... and I am grateful to Scott for bringing this piece to waag.

As before, a copy of this release will be available as an MP3 for free over on Archive … with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for 'pay what you want'. Have a wee listen below.

Tx


or

http://archive.org/details/waag_rel024