Bare Island - Ghost Echoes

 

Released: January 17

A percussion-heavy and cinematic trip, Ghost Echoes has a dark little bit of charm to it as it shifts from tense scenes to borderline ambient dirges. It all has a somewhat uncomfortable feeling as it shifts around. But much of the album was made in weird state of anxiety that was revisited during calmer times. So the dichotomy comes across quite naturally as time gives you that ability to reflect on trying times with a clearer view of it. 

Now, while I enjoyed the listen the whole way through, there’s were a couple of tracks that really resonated with me. Near the end, we get a really nice and heavy track in “Aeolus,” with starts out with a heavy bass line that doesn’t have much percussion accompaniment at first. But, when the drums finally drop in, it comes together really nice in a tense package that is worthy of a corridor crawling scene of suspense. There’s also earlier in the album with purely chill and sublime “Medon,” a track with lush atmospherics and relaxed rhythm that carries the various pieces of ambiance throughout the runtime. 

Both of these aforementioned tracks embody the dual nature of this album, using complex combinations of atmospheres and percussion with perfect treatments on both categories of elements. The judicious use of reverb puts the perfect little touch on everything, giving soundscapes that vary from cavernous and icy to small and cozy. It’s really a textural delight the whole time.