Album Review: Ghostpoet - Some Say I So I Say Light

11 May 2013 | 5:57 pm | Danielle O'Donohue

Some Say I So I Say Light sees Ghostpoet stepping out of the bedroom and into the studio to expand on the sounds of his debut in this stunning follow up.

More Ghostpoet More Ghostpoet

British MC Ghostpoet should've made more of an impact in Australia with the release of his excellent Mercury-nominated debut album Peanut Butter Blues And Melancholy Jam. That album pushed the boundaries of the new dub and downtempo electro sounds and buried plenty of rewarding pay-offs into its challenging and often abrasive musical packaging.

Some Say I So I Say Light sees Ghostpoet stepping out of the bedroom and into the studio to expand on the sounds of his debut in this stunning follow up. This album has guitars, horn parts, even a string section and, while the music is often haunting and otherworldly – there's an echo of trip hop pioneers Massive Attack floating through certain tracks – Ghostpoet grounds these songs in everyday references; catching trains, getting A-Levels, eating dim sum.

It's these little pieces of an ordinary life that bring a very real human touch to Ghostpoet's disembodied voice – his effortless lazy drawl that weaves through the warm beats and instrumentation. Ghostpoet is able to use his unique flow to give songs another layer, his voice working in harmony not with other voices but with the warm ebbs and flows of the waves of electro that pulse around him, although the addition of Lucy Rose on Dial Tones makes for a delightful back and forth between the two vocalists.

Like current UK favourites James Blake and The xx, Ghostpoet has made an album to listen to through the best headphones you can find so you can savour all the small moments, the glitches and hums, the delicate pieces of phrasing that make up this wholly thrilling album.

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter