Their Ghosts and Ours
“At the beginning of working on this album I had an idea of the feel that I wanted to achieve, but no clear direction. I had a piece which I was experimenting with that captured that feel and sent it to poet, Neil McRoberts, to get his thoughts.
He wrote back; “when I put the track on, the initial sounds brought an image to mind of someone moving very carefully in an abandoned and crumbling building, perhaps stepping on the broken pieces of an old picture frame. I had the impression that the person had returned to the ruin of somewhere they had lived in the past and as the more melodic elements of the music emerged, with their beautiful melancholic melody, they seemed to embody the memories of the person, looking back with a mixture of sadness and
happiness." That set of thoughts made brought to mind some of the abandoned homesteads that are scattered in the rangeland and corners of the valley floor.
During COVID I got into exploring some of the dead-end little roads that lead up into side valleys and taking pictures on my phone and wondering about the lives of the people who once lived there. The music brought one of those places to mind in particular, and I imagined the person re-visiting it and remembering scenes from his past.”
Neil also wrote a beautiful poem, ‘Broken Frame’, and this poem together with his thoughts on my initial piece really helped shape the album clarifying my sense of the direction I wanted to take. I did not end up using the initial piece of music, but that starting point ultimately led to 12 new tracks. Neil’s input led to field-recording the sounds of empty buildings; fragments of noise which evoked a nostalgic mood, which were then combined with the sounds of piano, strings, clarinet and synthesizers. Each piece has a contrast of melancholic melodies with grittier eroded sounds as if they had been unearthed from the past.”
Tracklisting:
- Something Brought Me Back
- A Broken Frame
- Stretching Ahead
- Summer's Suns Had Wearied
- Their Ghosts and Ours
- To This Place Awakened
- We Carried Our Hope
- Above My Head the Burning Summer Sky
- After The Deluge
- Not Rent Asunder
- Another Tempest
- Even From Afar
Adrian Lane
Adrian Lane is a visual artist and musician from Southend-on-Sea in the UK, releasing music under his own name since 2013. His music has appeared on various labels including Preserved Sound, Oscarson, Hibernate, Chitra, and Whitelabrecs. His music explores sounds largely from acoustic sources, but using the computer as a writing tool, he works much more like an electronic musician, exploring contrasts between the organic and synthetic. In the ever-evolving landscape of ambient and neo-classical music, Adrian Lane stands as a dedicated artist, continuously pushing boundaries and weaving sonic tapestries that captivate listeners with their depth and emotional resonance.
Broken Frame (by Neil McRoberts)
Something brought me back
I couldn't now - any more than then - say why
I turned the tiles
Of yesterday's dreams
The return to this place
Awakened.
Underfoot, a broken frame
Fractured glass
The corner of a fading image
The echo of our love and work
Remains.
Remember how we'd call the horses down
From their wanderings in the rangeland hills?
They'd dance across the golden grass
For us. Proud and shy and somehow hopeful
All at once.
Their ghosts and ours can still be heard
In song the wind sings here
Inviting the curtain rags to stir
In their pane-less frames.
Eventually, we carried our hope
To a kinder future when
Summers' suns had wearied
Us with gratitude enough.
Leaving the eucalyptus their vigil
Over welcome shadows
And whisper their longing for rain.
Reviews
Magazine SixtyEvolving from an exchange of ideas between Adrian Lane and the poet Neil McRoberts, the album presents a sensual expression of rich, haunting, and exhilarating musical atmospheres. Its breathy form, shaped by a series of delicate piano notes, is enhanced by expansive electronic processes and a profound depth of impassioned understanding. You can read the wonderful words within the poem on the artist’s Bandcamp page (link below).
The music revolves around the tender piano but is complemented by notable classical instruments, such as flute and strings. The consistent sound of synthesisers adds a carefully crafted warmth and detail to the arrangements, while also securing their place in contemporary musical conversations. At times, it feels as if the music is drifting, almost lost in its own dilemma, yet it draws you through its emotional turmoil to speak directly to you. It’s a lovely, though invigorating listen that captures the intimacy of moments, lost and found.
Original > HERE
Silence and SoundAdrian Lane is an artist who likes to blur the lines, using acoustic sounds manipulated on the computer. With Their Ghosts and Ours , he immerses us in a world shrouded in melancholy and sepia tones, a return to the ruins of a past with vibrant and emotionally charged images.
Gentleness and poetry form a musical whole with vaporous sounds, carried by piano notes and string friction, illuminating the space with hidden field recordings, with subtle textures and materials.
The artist transports us to a timeless space, a crossroads of centuries and eras inhabited by humanity. Simply close your eyes and the images will unfold, capturing the dreams of a man enamored with beauty, making them our own. Magical.
Original > HERE