Ok I will hold my hands up and say I don’t know anything about this Ghost Carriage Phantoms, other than that they are a collaborative effort between singer songwriter Michael James Hall and producer Mark Estall. I don’t actually know how i came across the album but since this album’s release late last year, I’ve found myself finding solace in this album, whether it’s something about the lyrics and the vocal delivery.

Its clear from the off that this guy can really sing drawing shades of Future Islands and Bobby Conn, it almost feels like as if he is really letting his spirit go with moments of Mark Almond and Anthony Hegarty thrown in at his most warbling best. I guess that what also caught me was the range of influences that GCP play around with.

There is indeed a very delicate balance that they strike, one that is built on personal anecdotes with in the lyrical play. Videotape has the feel of a very personal letter to his mother,. There is an overall sense of yearning that I get from this album, almost talking of fantasy worlds. It is in my opinion one hell of an interesting listen.