Irishman Brendan Gregoriy's feeling for melody and chord progressions is the main appeal of his tracks. "Shadowdancer" and "Umbrella," both in 2007, were lush tunes which rolled along assertively, but had synth lines so gorgeous you could cry. The latter's Beatless mix helped him garner a nod as the third best chillout artist in that year's Beatport awards. Ghosts, again, marries emotion with a keen sense of rhythmic complexity and counterpoint. It doesn't quite hit the highs formerly achieved (such expectations for every release are unrealistic), but the premise is a good one, and done once again with polish. Kicks, bell arpeggios, a repetitive one-note formant pattern and a chunky bass pattern all play off each other rhythmically on the title track. It's got an epic feel, with breaks building wide synths upon each other and the main sections rising with power, in a way that's well placed on mainstream labels like Cocoon where he's formerly made appearances. "These Jagged Shards" is calmer, tonic pads ever bouncing to the forefront and detuning slightly towards their end in a distracted manner, as hiccuping vocals add to the daydream. It's not wildly different or innovative, but different enough in a way that sounds right alongside the classic slant.
The mood of "You Know It's True," with the title spoken in a calmly imposing male basso, is more difficult to place, with minor and diminished chords alongside a twittering, spacey electronic birdsong. Overall, it creates the kind of disjointed nostalgia of Boards of Canada's "Roygbiv." The bliss is offset more by straying from the norm than in the other two tracks, but under all there's a feeling that you're listening to something unique.
The mood of "You Know It's True," with the title spoken in a calmly imposing male basso, is more difficult to place, with minor and diminished chords alongside a twittering, spacey electronic birdsong. Overall, it creates the kind of disjointed nostalgia of Boards of Canada's "Roygbiv." The bliss is offset more by straying from the norm than in the other two tracks, but under all there's a feeling that you're listening to something unique.
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Published /
Thu / 4 Nov 2010 -
Words /
Terry Fonseca -
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Tracklist /
A Ghosts
B1 These Jagged Shards
B2 You Know It's True
New York
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