Rain Kings :: Ghost Songs EP

A haunting waft of elegiac sounds from Sweden’s Rain Kings (Gustav Hedin) drifts in like the mystery wind, blowing under the door and seeping into the cracks. Recorded on cassette, Ghost Songs EP (I Blame the Parents Records, 2011) floats between static, squall and lo-fi art-rock, powered by haze and melancholy. Like peering through a rain spattered window, the cassette burnish makes you feel like you are held at a slight distance and invited in at the same time. Into what, you’re never quite sure, but you know it’s deeper than it appears. It may sound like the only thing holding it together is the fuzz and dust, but stand guard, or keep peeking through the knot-hole, and the songs still float to the surface. Songs about ghosts, wolves, blood, magic…some call to mind the insular ominous fog of Sparklehorse, or the best of the non-cloying Beck; organically built regardless of the synths and effects, rooted in an earthy but otherworldly foundation.

The quietly insistent Ghost Songs starts out setting the tone and sound for the outing; rolling collages and hushed semi-buried vocals lure you in, but like the namesake, you can’t touch it. I have no idea if ghosts have teeth, but your spirit guide through the EP sounds like he can’t stop wiggling that loose tooth; it hurts a bit, tender to the touch, but he can’t leave it alone. Something happened, something leaving a trail, but you never really know what it is, and I don’t think our guide does either. Wolves leads you into the woods with a bit of Wooden Shjips-like wall, before opening up into a galloping march with some touches of spacey guitar. There is still a loose delicate aura over it all, but Wolves takes a more bracing path. Not clearing the way totally and leaving you to work some yourself is a thread through the tracks and one that makes the extra effort that much more rewarding. Blood Sugar Magic closes with the same shambolic drama that permeates Ghost Songs EP; something personal, something out of reach, something to long for.

Ghost Songs EP will be available via I Blame the Parents Records

Blood Sugar Magic :: Rain Kings :: Ghost Songs EP (I Blame the Parents Records, 2011)