Ghost Fire

Description

Everything is a matter of time at Garciaphone. - - Seven years. That’s the time it took Olivier Perez to return with a new album in 2024. The time of life and its detours, between Barcelona and Clermont-Ferrand, between the practice of drawing and tours with the New York band Elysian Fields… The time of writing that comes back and asserts itself as an obvious choice after a long maturation. After the dreamlike Dreameater (2017), it’s time for the incandescent ‘Ghost Fire’ and its ten songs still inhabited by a few ghosts of folk, Elliott Smith, Tim Hardin, Nick Drake… Ten tracks whose straightforward melodies are enough to haunt you. - - Half an hour. That’s the time you’ll need to listen to this album from start to finish. And undoubtedly, you’ll let yourself be carried away by its hypnotic flow. The subtle orchestrations of the musicians, including the loyal Zacharie Boissau and Clément Chevrier (The Delano Orchestra) and the newcomer Mocke (Midget!, Chevalrex), the caressing flame of the voice, the elegant grace of the melodies enchant and captivate, in a soft and comfortable warmth, from which emanates a familiar scent of wood, fire, and nostalgia. - - Three minutes. That’s the sufficient time for Garciaphone’s nuanced and delicate songwriting to create a world in itself. A world where emotion is a benevolent hostess, nestled in richer-than-usual custom arrangements: violin, zither, saz, or bouzouki discreetly adorn the verses. Compact songs, economical in means, built on clear melodies that caress the soul: a silky minimalism that transcends the physical duration of the piece and distills beyond the listening experience, like the evocation of a happy memory one wants to keep forever. - - A whole lifetime. That’s the time needed to exhaust the riches of ‘Ghost Fire’, which sparkles with a thousand lights behind its veil of sobriety.