Beyond the Ghost Begins a New Dystopian, Thematic Journey with "The Last Resort"
It is remarkable how certain artistic flourishes are an aural fingerprint to an artist, how certain moods, with the mere use of one particular sound, are the calling card for a particular music project. In this instance, I am referring to the new Beyond the Ghost album, The Last Resort, the latest soundscape journey from Cryo Chamber. The previous installments from this artist have been tapestries of ethereal and ghostly wanderings; meanderings of an untethered spirit left to drift amid the listless floes of the unlife. This new offering from Beyond the Ghost begins a new journey, as stated in the album description, we are beginning a new thematic series entitled, “Europa”, and The Last Resort is the first, however, as the album unfolds, the artist’s presence is comforting and realized quickly, with organic and jazz-infused proclivities amidst the dark wisps of atmosphere.
“Beginning” is a slight misnomer, as this album takes us in media res, to a time when pivotal events have already shaped the paradigm of society-yet-to-come. This album takes us to the year 2060 - and more specifically to the city of Berlin - to a time of societal languor in the midst of a sloughing of society. Disease, famine, rumors of war - all the hallmarks of a band of apocalyptic horsemen beget their course, and most people lock themselves indoors. Yet one club remains open in the heart of this dying city: The Last Resort. Cloaked in neons and a thin veil of cigarette smoke and haze, this is a lone redoubt for the few brave souls who choose to drink away their sorrows, sharing the dolorous company of few others.
The artist behind Beyond the Ghost is known for his penchant for “jazzy” inflections, and slight touches of organic synths, as well as his inspired works that conjure the feelings of certain worlds, notably that of the Silent Hill series, and this album includes those same touches, yet we are given a whole new palette for our imagination; this time our imaginations paint with colors given us by notable cyberpunk tentpoles - Blade Runner and Akira, to name but two. The neo-noir aesthetic is prevalent, yet just as with the previous Beyond the Ghost albums, there is a languid nature to these tales. This is the music not for protagonists, but for bystanders. This is an album for one who is sitting at the bar several stools away from the protagonist. This is an album for the ones who watch the protagonist leave the bar, yet they stay to continue their respite, having nothing much more for which to live.
All this reads as almost depressing, and while the setting does seem to be slightly oppressive, the album is a soothing repose, a calming drone, setting the scenes of this futurist decay, yet allowing the listener plenty of room for introspection.
The Last Resort is an inspired first entry into a new thematic setting from Beyond the Ghost - get it in digipak and digital formats on the Cryo Chamber Bandcamp page.
Written, performed, produced, mastered – Pierre Laplace
Trumpet – Christophe « Pher » Motury
Artwork – Simon Heath
Read more within the Museum of Macabre Media on Monsters, Madness and Magic here: Cryo Chambers Bestows its’ Newest Mythos Collaboration - Yig