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

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

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 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, over on Archive with a lossless version available on Bandcamp for ‘pay what you want’.

- Thomas

https://archive.org/details/waag_rel110