Radical Face - Ghost

Radical Face is the brainchild of Ben Cooper, also of indie duo Electric President. On Ghost, Cooper takes the delicate folk sound of an Elliott Smith or Sam Beam and filters it through a set of more atmospheric and intricate arrangements. The album has a largely seamless production style as several tracks flow continuously together to lend the project an epic/cinematic feeling, though it's an epic end achieved through minimalist means. Ghost begins in splendid fashion with airy opener "Asleep on a Train" fading into "Welcome Home." With beautiful instrumentation, a wonderful sense of momentum and a memorable, soaring chorus, the latter is one of the best tracks of the young year and on its own merits makes Ghost worth a listen. Cooper furthers a similar musical vision on standout tracks, "Let the River In", "Glory", "Wrapped in Piano Strings" and "Winter is Coming." A couple of songs late in the album lack the consistent radiance of earlier cuts, keeping the record from completely fulfilling the immense promise of its initial tracks. Yet Cooper is certainly a musician to keep an eye on; his tremendous capacity for maximizing the potential in a musical space and keen eye for detail make Ghost an album with a bounty of musical gifts to offer. [www.radicalface.com]