Ghostly International US At Juno Download

Review: Rafael Anton Irisarri's benchmark 2008 album as The Sight Below gets a re-release with extra tracks and remixes in a 'deluxe' format. Despite the inclusion of these extras, Glider doesn't need a hard sell. Irisarri's music is gloriously evocative, his arrangements both intense and detached. Glider has the added bonus of featuring the most melancholic guitar playing since Kevin Shields first plugged in his Stratocaster. The understated ambience of "Already There" and "Without Motion" showcase Irisarri's virtuosity, although in the case of the latter, the lush orchestral strings are also heart-stoppingly beautiful. Irisarri's other default approach is subtle, undulating dubby techno grooves and there are no shortage of these on Glider. Indeed, this album is worth the price just to acquire "Life's Fading Light", Irisarri's wonderfully melancholic, jangling guitar response to Superpitcher's "Happiness".

Review: There's always something instantly identifiable about a Ghostly International record, and Tycho sounds as though he would never dream of bucking the trend as he returns to offer forth the languid tones of Dive. It's the very pleasant, bewitching end of electronica, where the beats stay on the straight and narrow, while the melodies chime harmoniously, earnest in their bid to support each other. There's a definite fondness for New Order in the arrangements, from the tidily presented drum hits to the ambiguous disposition. A lovely listen from start to finish.

Review: One of the more propulsive cuts from Tycho's album for Ghostly International enjoys a single release with two apt remixes that zoom in on the ambient qualities in the droney chap's music. The Keep Shelly In Athens mix takes great pleasure in letting languid vocals ring out until they become pads of their own, over cavernous hits and porous decays, while a politely glitchy beat ticks away underneath, only to bubble up aggressively in a crescendo of troubled kick drums. Memoryhouse meanwhile let the warbling pitch reign supreme in a positively stretched out slice of electronica that drifts on by with ease.