Ghost, I - Ave Aqua Mater

Released: May 28

As alluded to by its title, Ave Aqua Mater is an album about water that explores the concept of water as a sort of mother of all life. It takes the idea of water to a metaphysical or even a spiritual level through a rather unique combination of sonic textures and techniques. There are spoken (or sometimes whispered) words and bizarre chants that accompany background textures that seem to universally have a very water-like quality. It’s actually a bit uncanny how much many of the sonic elements have that reminiscence of water — dripping, flowing, trickling, gurgling, bubbling. There really is that sense that entire album is water, perhaps even the artist himself has become water through this. I doubt it physically, but also can’t divorce the idea. 

From the very first track, the presence of strange water is confirmed. Soft yet slightly harsh whisperings are overlaid on a persistent loop that scratches and drips, soft synths play out an organ-like drone, and a peculiar hollow quality is pervasive throughout all the individual parts. The second track, “de profundis (acquaintances)” exchanges the whispers for a guttural chant and that persistent loop for a steady trickle that continues seemingly forever along with the chant. For the next few tracks, we are taken into decidedly drone territory as the soundscapes of distinct defined sounds are blurred into interminable smears with unusual accompaniments such as a heavily processed harmonica playing out fragmented licks. This is a rather peculiar combination that works surprisingly well, notably on the dark and slightly mournful sounding “ma(d)re” while still keeping that water-centric theme in focus. 

The theme of water manifests itself in such a variety of ways, driving home the theme that water is the mother of all life on Earth very clearly and beautifully. we go from the dripping faucet, the babbling brook, to the ocean and even the raging thunderstorm. It’s a rather poetic journey altogether in my opinion.