Glenn Murawski takes baroque classical elements alongside electronic flourishes and transforms them into an emotionally charged roller coaster with “Ghosts: Deluxe Remastered”. The loveliness of the minor keys alongside the sheer industrial heft of the beats makes it quite soulful. With this juxtaposition of these two seemingly unrelated elements Glenn crafts a rather thoughtful narrative, at times touching upon a haunting eeriness that underpins much of the work. Headphones, a good sound system, these are musts, for there is a great amount of care paid to the production which is crystal clear.
The references to this sort of work are rather few, as Glenn’s approach does have a distinct uniqueness to it. Informed by Bach’s clever, mathematically precise work there are also more modern influences that abound. Autechre’s love of otherworldly melodies alongside hefty, bombastic and unpredictable beats has an unmistakable impression upon much of the performance, for Glenn holds nothing back. For the sheer taut quality of many of the rhythms, how they evolve in ways that give them an organic sensibility, well there is a fondness for Ben Frost’s clever soundtrack work.
Disembodied voices alongside origami glitch effects start the album off strong with the title track “Ghosts”. Heavy, string-like elements further emphasize the dramatic tension of the piece before the drums kick in. The dollops of distortion alongside the racing beats make “Specters” a truly harrowing experience, for the song’s melody seems to be in direct combat with the noisy ethos of the mix. Pulling back on the intensity a bit the cryptic “The Succubus” features a little gentler exploration. Staccato keyboard stabs give “Haunting” a rather thrilling quality, as the song unfolds in a mysterious way. Beats propel the psychedelic backwards strewn landscapes of “Phantom”.
With a cinematic flair “Revenants” has tribal drums that constantly shift in terms of texture and timber, allowing even a bit of a Boards of Canada’s like longing behind it. On “Ghosts II” Glenn doubles down with the horror, as the morphing sounds have a truly creepy quality about them. Drums are of the essence with the intense rush of “Spirits of the Dark” as the physicality of the song proves to be unavoidable. Ringing out into the infinite is the spacious “Deadly Apparition”. Strings merge together with the rather delicate finale of “Summoning the Wraith”.
With “Ghosts: Deluxe Remastered” Glenn Murawksi revels in surreal landscapes, exploring the imagined side of things and doing so with the utmost of care.
https://glennmurawski.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts-deluxe-remastered
