Here’s an existential consideration for you: If ghosts are the spirits of the afterlife trapped in this world, then what happens when a ghost dies?
The answer is now quite simple: silence.
The metaphysical truth of that remains to be tested, but in the musicological sense, it’s now a fact, because the excellent Japanese psych band Ghost have recently disbanded after 30 years of melting faces, only to see a new band called The Silence form, featuring most of the members of Ghost.
The mastermind of both projects, Masaki Batoh (who also brought you the Brain Pulse Music Machine), describes The Silence as “heavier than any sound pressure and the silence which thunders the ears can only be expressed by the silence in the subconscious mind of consciousness and unconsciousness.”
You’ll be able to aurally actualize that concept when Drag City release The Silence’s debut album The Silence on March 24. We have a time machine and have listened to the album in the not-too-distant-future and can assure you that it’s more of Batoh’s excellent pastoral tinged rock tunes, so rest assured, the future is bright despite any existential conundrums this news item might have otherwise provoked.
Plus, you can get a taster of the album via lead single “Lemon Iro No Cannabis” below. According to the band’s Facebook page, they are already recording their second record, which is tentatively slated for an August release with Drag City.
The Silence tracklist:
01. Lemon Iro No Cannabis
02. Gotter im Exil
03. Jewels in Tibet
04. Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair
05. Tango Whiskeyman
06. Triptycon
07. Nana No Open Back Banjo
08. Pesach
09. Overture
• The Silence: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Silence/1462181737395695
• Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com
[Photo: Minoru Tsuyuki]
More about: Ghost, Masaki Batoh, The Silence
