A Choir Of Ghosts – An Ounce Of Gold
Folk
60%
Making an important statement about society and the world around us through music is often associated these days with music that is fiery and energetic, with the likes of punk and rap etc. Meaningful messages in music can trace their ancestry back to very different styles however; in simple folk songs carrying messages of peace and in the voices coming together to sing of equality in traditional gospel. These songs didn’t unite people by fanning their anger, instead they appealed to something deeper inside all of us, something far more spiritual and indescribable. ‘Sinner in Rapture’ does much the same thing as it shares a frustration at how society sets up all young people to fail, to strive and struggle just to survive without truly living. This latest track from Scandinavian artist A Choir of Ghosts, taken from his forthcoming debut album An Ounce Of Gold, shares his longing to break free, for the broken system to crumble to ruin, through his dark and earnest vocals, soaring string arrangements and uplifting choral segments. It’s a song that ignites a very different kind of fire, not some bright flash but one that burns long and brings people together out of the darkness.
Is art something we create, or something that lives through us? Like how the energy of all living things carries on in the big circle of life; someone creates a work of art that inspires someone else, which in turn inspires someone else and so forth. Whoever made the painting that adorned the childhood home of Sweden based singer/songwriter James Auger would likely never have expected that it would end up inspiring a song like ‘Southwest of the Moon’. Likewise I imagine James (under his Choir of Ghosts moniker) will never truly know the reach of this track from his forthcoming debut album An Ounce Of Gold. But with its rich imagery, vocals reminiscent of The Decemberists, and plenty of heartwarming fireside folk vibes, I’m quite certain it will leave its mark and take root in people’s imaginations.