The Black Hand

by Ghost Stories

on Quixoticism

in Rock

for more info: http://www.sonicboomrecordings.com/ghoststories/ "Ghost Stories is the musical brainchild of Ron Lewis, a bedroom recordist steeped in haunting lo-fi folk, found-sound ambience and epic psych-pop grandeur. Quixoticism, Ghost Stories’ debut, unfolds like a passive-aggressive psych-rock opera. "With years under his belt playing virtually every musical position on the field with the Fruit Bats, the Joggers, Colin Meloy and with members of the Dismemberment Plan, a creation of Lewis’ own seems justifiably due—resulting in an album which remains faithful to Lewis’ resume, but steps forward with an alpha gesture that is anything but supplementary. "Though some of the songs themselves date back seven years, Quixoticism and it’s progression to tape began in the summer of 2004 with an empty house and an 8-track tape machine. Lewis played and recorded everything at home, enlisting the help of Zack Reinig for the drum sounds. "Lewis’ relationship with the recording process gleams of hi-fi ambition beneath a lo-fi veneer, ripe with rich star-shine vocal harmonies, undulating transitions and bubbling psych explosions. “You Wear It Like Stained Glass Window” merges feral banshee guitars and spectral howls that reflect the volatile nature of knowing another person inside and out, be that good or bad. “Even a Vampire Wouldn’t Drink My Blood,” an anxious anthem to self-deprecation, shrugs off any residual melancholy with arena rock guitars and a cappella choral builds. This is a perfect conclusion to an album that embodies universal tribulations of finding, losing, or extricating oneself from love."