The first in a series of digital-only releases on the Perth label Hidden Shoal, this EP is also a prelude to Stray Ghost’s fourth album, Nothing, But Death, due in March. Stray Ghost is the work of Anthony Saggers, an Englishman in his early 20s. He achieves a heavenly ambience on this 25-minute stopgap, which features three artful, instrumental compositions adorned with French titles.
‘Le Belle Semaine’ stokes synths and Mellotrons so that sounds materialise, meld, and slip away with total ease. It’s gentle and warm for all of its glacial 10-plus minutes, closing with distant snatches of speech. At half that length, ‘Au Revoir a la Belle Semaine’ introduces chime-like synths echoing through much open space. The closing ‘Reminiscences Et Reves De Beaute’ is slow and low-key, more drifting than shifting. That said, it does become suddenly glitch-y in its final few minutes, like a malfunctioning hologram. But it feels natural, not contrived, and still has a calming influence.
There’s something celestial about this outing. Hearing it, you half-expect to be seated in a planetarium, gazing up at the marvels of the night sky. It may lack the scope of a full album, but it cleanses the palate nicely and prepares us for Nothing, But Death.
Doug Wallen
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