On »Ghost/Spirit«, Berlin-based Australian experimental musician Jules Reidy presents a beguiling and captivating song cycle that ruminates on themes of love and spirituality. This album is Reidy’s most ambitious outing to date, delving further into their singular approach. Processed and electronic elements merge with natural sounds, leaving the listener wondering where one ends and the other begins. Many of the compositions set Reidy’s arresting vocals—sometimes treated—against complex, multifaceted backings. Drone elements often bubble away in the background as an array of processed instrumentation, electronic blips and bleeps, and numerous samples phase in and out. Reidy’s greatest accomplishment is successfully combining deeply experimental compositions and settings with a keen sense of melody and harmony.
Opener »Every Day There’s a Sunset« perfectly showcases Reidy at their captivating best, pitting a keen vocal melody against beautiful guitar chords and an ever-building array of electronic elements. Reidy is a big fan of My Bloody Valentine and has taken Kevin Shields’ ideas around using the studio as an instrument to heart. The sonic universe they create is incredibly alive and dynamic despite much of it being constructed in the studio. Elsewhere, »Breaks« provides one of the album’s most stark and straightforwardly beautiful moments, while the companion piece to the opener, »Every Day There’s a Sunrise«, ventures further into glitchy and noisy territory, as Reidy weaves an intoxicating vocal melody over the top. With »Ghost/Spirit«, Jules Reidy has delivered an album that is simultaneously deeply experimental and individual while remaining accessible and imbued with melody. Check this album out for a genuinely unique listening experience.
