Greg Seiler is certainly already well-known for his solo electronic explorations as Comatone, but “Ghosts And Angels’ shows him collaborating with classical composer Amanda Handel to create an evocative and frequently cinematic collection of tracks that veers far away from the glitchy electronics of his previous albums “One Into One Out’s and “E-50.’ With its starting point apparently being field recordings made by Handel while visiting Spain, the creative collaboration that lead to “Ghost And Angels’ began in earnest with Seiler sampling and manipulating the recordings and the pair working together to introduce textural elements that would enhance Handel’s original compositions. The result is certainly one of the most enveloping and frequently disorienting collections that I’ve heard amongst the “contemporary classical’ sphere, with apt comparison points being Coil, Murcof and the sweeping Middle Eastern atmospheres of Peter Gabriel’s “Passion’ as much as any immediate figures from the “classical’ arena.
Throughout, it’s the extraordinary sense of complimentary balance between Seiler’s electronic elements and Handel’s compositions that makes a particular impact here. Opening track “Bewitchment’s certainly sends chills up the spine from its very beginning, with ominous piano notes descending into a yawning void as eerie metallic bell tones trace a path akin to a medieval cathedral and disembodied-sounding Spanish vocal samples flit through. “The Passing’ meanwhile conjures up sweeping Middle Eastern atmosphere, with the distant sounds of a military band emerging from a fog of treated crowd samples, a melancholy lone trumpet adding an underlying sense of almost wounded weariness. Stunningly executed and realised, “Ghosts And Angels’ represents one of the most inspired collaborations of its type to emerge for a long time; it’s also an album that rewards beautifully upon repeat listening.
