{"id":17004,"date":"2021-11-14T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=17004"},"modified":"2021-11-11T22:37:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T22:37:32","slug":"lusitanian-ghosts-exotic-quixotic-european-phonographic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=17004","title":{"rendered":"Lusitanian Ghosts – ‘Exotic Quixotic’ (European Phonographic)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish alternative collective\u00a0Lusitanian Ghosts<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0release their second album full to bursting with ancient sounds for the 21st Century and beyond. Imagine the most beautiful panoramic watercolour of big sky and deep waters ebbing and flowing well this would be the most exquisite soundtrack to such a painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 2015, Lusitanian Ghosts are\u00a0Neil Leyton, Mikael Lundin (a.k.a. Micke Ghost), Jo\u00e3o Sousa, Omiri, O Gajo, Abel Beja, Janne Olson\u00a0<\/strong>and other artists that come and go within the collective. It all began when Neil Leyton brought Micke Ghost a Viola Amarantina in Stockholm when visiting from Lisbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An album about life, love, loss and freedom of choice.\u00a0Single ‘Never Less Than Lonely’ is about the loss of memory… from whichever perspective. Alzheimer’s, or cancer. Losing people slowly, watching them fade away. This the band’s second album\u00a0‘Exotic Quixotic’<\/strong><\/a>, is released on\u00a0European Phonographic<\/strong><\/a> and is every bit as adventurous as the debut perhaps even more daring and joyful, dark and reflective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album was recorded on analogue tape and mixed by\u00a0Sebastian Muxfeldt<\/strong> <\/a> <\/strong>(Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub)\u00a0<\/strong>at Hamburg’s\u00a0Clouds Hills Studios<\/strong><\/a>, recasts heritage folk violas into rock and roll songs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lusitanian Ghosts strive for building a better world, Writing and performing songs from and for the heart and the mind. Their compositions mix indie songwriting with traditional Portuguese instruments like the Beiroa, Campani\u00e7a, Braguesa, Terceirense and Amarantina guitars (or violas as they are called in Portugal), each with its own string arrangements and tunings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bands sound coming from something of a unique place has Neil Leyton steeped in traditional indie Rock and Roll and his love of bands like the Manics and The Dogs D’Amour even, reinventing the style in an almost folk style yet remaining fresh and original is exciting and engaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documentary ‘Lusitanian Ghosts: Making Of the Lusitanian Ghosts debut album – Chordophone Rock n Roll’<\/a> <\/strong>elucidates on why most of these Portuguese ancient instruments (the real Lusitanian Ghosts) have become forgotten over time. For this album, they’ve done away with the guitars, using only chordophones, along with bass and drums. Even the snare was replaced on many tracks with the Adufe, a Portuguese square drum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is all Chordophone violas from Portugal – namely the viola Amarantina, Braguesa, Campani\u00e7a and Terceira, played by the Lusitanian Ghosts collective including Canadian-Portuguese artist Neil Leyton, Micke Ghost (the first Swede to play the viola Amarantina!), Vasco Ribeiro Casais aka OMIRI (Portugal), Abel Beja (USA\/Portugal, viola Terceira from the Azores), Jo\u00e3o Sousa on drums (sometimes replacing the snare with the Portuguese square drum Adufe) and Jan-Eric Olson on bass. But not just bass! Janne borrowed O Gajo’s viola Campani\u00e7a for some extra dark licks. Chordophone rock n roll, Alt-Folk, Urban-Country-Folk, however it gets labelled what should come across are the humanist messages in these songs,” says\u00a0Micke Ghost.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featuring ten tracks from the upbeat opener of ‘Soul Deranium’ its brushes on the snare and some fantastic arrangements and a cacophony of string instruments attacking your senses and reeling you in its intended as a \u201cprotest song for the ages\u201d whilst its four minutes of Rock and Roll performed differently it reaching the same end result, daring and adventurous and capturing the spirit perfectly its all there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘All The Sounds’ is Leyton at his emotional best as the song builds through the chorus before going back to the start. Then the title track has the soul of the early 70s Bowie or Ronnie Lane penned Faces song but also sounding very modern and original. It’s stirring stuff indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call it alt-folk or anti-folk – whatever, it’s just Rock and Roll isn’t it? just a different flavour with different instruments. I do know it’s engaging and quite beautiful. A very emotional record that oozes quality and passion both lyrically and musically. One of my favourite songs is the rush that is ‘Living One Life (Just Isn’t Enough These Days)’ it lasts a stunning six-plus minutes with the first half just building on the riff before a word is uttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Lisbon Calling’ is a European twist of ‘London Calling’ something of a first cousin, maybe played differently but with the same beating heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘For The Wicked’ is dreamy as the snare shuffles Leyton’s hushed tones sound menacing as he rallies against religious or political extremism, populism, or any other kind of anti-humanist behaviour its engaging and as the general vibe of this record its a beautiful thing and thoroughly engaging even if you have no idea what the songs might be about the overall feeling is exceptional beauty and Leyton and Ghost should be so proud of what they have created with this record. I urge you to investigate this album further and I promise you will reap the rewards of what is a stunning collection of songs. An absolute triumph of songwriting and a texture of musicianship that has light and darkness that has to be appreciated for its boldness and a record that is an absolute pleasure to play regardless of one’s emotional state. Take a bow Lusitanian Ghosts for delivering such a stunning record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Exotic Quixotic’ album will be released on November 19 and can be pre-ordered via\u00a0Bandcamp<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Dom Daley<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n