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The Phantom Carriage is an experimental project by a man called Mike Seed, who has been active in many musical forms since the 1990s. Late Comers is one of his more recent works, combining songs with folkish parts and electronic experimentation. The synthesis of these elements is absolutely seamless, and it gives this album a ghostly, surreal quality.
Some of these tracks, like the opener "The Ghost of a Hare" are very calm, consisting of drones and acoustic soundscapes, with soft vocals. The second track is an almost a capella song where Mike shows off his pleasant voice. But there is a harsher, noisy side to The Phantom Carriage as well, which is illustrated by "White Fields", one of the best tracks on the album. It starts off like the first track, with whispered vocals over a trance-like acoustic backing. Quickly though, a heavy distorted beat hijacks the track, sending the listener into a wholly different kind of trance. "Swineherd Passes" has a similar makeup, though slightly more relaxed. It is the combination of such rhythmic tracks with the calm, though eerie atmosphere of tracks like “Trees full of ice” that make this album so appealing.
This album reminds me a lot of The Gray Field Recordings, and perhaps it’s no coincidence that they’re on the same label. The atmosphere might be slightly different at times, but the excellent combination of vocals, acoustics and electronics is certainly a similarity. Late Comers is an excellent album, and highly recommended to lovers of experimentation on the borders of folk and electronics. The original edition is long since sold out, but the entire album can now be downloaded from The Phantom Carriage’s website.
O.S.
Some of these tracks, like the opener "The Ghost of a Hare" are very calm, consisting of drones and acoustic soundscapes, with soft vocals. The second track is an almost a capella song where Mike shows off his pleasant voice. But there is a harsher, noisy side to The Phantom Carriage as well, which is illustrated by "White Fields", one of the best tracks on the album. It starts off like the first track, with whispered vocals over a trance-like acoustic backing. Quickly though, a heavy distorted beat hijacks the track, sending the listener into a wholly different kind of trance. "Swineherd Passes" has a similar makeup, though slightly more relaxed. It is the combination of such rhythmic tracks with the calm, though eerie atmosphere of tracks like “Trees full of ice” that make this album so appealing.
This album reminds me a lot of The Gray Field Recordings, and perhaps it’s no coincidence that they’re on the same label. The atmosphere might be slightly different at times, but the excellent combination of vocals, acoustics and electronics is certainly a similarity. Late Comers is an excellent album, and highly recommended to lovers of experimentation on the borders of folk and electronics. The original edition is long since sold out, but the entire album can now be downloaded from The Phantom Carriage’s website.
O.S.