Following ‘The Long Train’ and ‘Shameless’, the lead singles from their forthcoming album ‘Lusitanian Ghosts III’,Lusitanian Ghosts are back with a new single, entitled’Got Enough’. Here, the chordophone collective presents something delightful and novel, which is more of a world-music tinged mantra relative to their usual rock n roll alt-folk fare.
The album, which releases in September via European Phonographic, was engineered and mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub) at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, and it sounds superb. This should come as no surprise to anyone who ever listened to their previous album ‘Exotic Quixotic”, which was widely acclaimed in the Ghosts’ native countries (Portugal, Canada and Sweden) and beyond.
Recorded live off the floor on 2″ tape and mixed down in glorious mono and stereo versions to 1/4″ tape, this chordophonic analogue extravaganza showcases the more moody, atmospheric side of Lusitanian Ghosts – although not without some vitriol.
Lusitanian Ghosts is a Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish project that resurrects lost instruments, presenting ancient sounds in the 21st Century. Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, the European artist collective writes from a socio-political perspective on building a better world, creating songs for the heart and mind, recording on analogue tape and releasing moving music on vinyl.
Founded by Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost, the collective also includes João Sousa, Abel Beja (from Primitive Reason), ToZé Bexiga (from Raia) and Jan-Eric Olsson, playing traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, ancient regional guitars (Amarantina, Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Toeira, Terceirense). These instruments, once on the verge of extinction, are the real “Lusitanian Ghosts” – Lusitania being an ancient Celtic tribe in what would become the central territory of Portugal.
“The riff was written on the bed at hotel Luna in Setubal around the time of our Setúbal concert, which we filmed. It sounds like an oriental chant with echoes of 90’s Britpop. What I remember was that I asked Leyton to write a lyric about everything we had enough of. Maybe not us in particular. What one could have had enough of. Or should’ve had enough of. But I’m not sure what the song is about, really. It is a certain mood. Happy birthday,” says Micke Ghost.
Neil Leyton adds, “Punishment vs. reward. Or just too much reward. When Micke came up with the riff I remembered that George Michael line, “Most of us are not sure if we have too much, but we’ll take our chances…” from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. I, “Praying for Time”, and so it went… there are also some Elliott Smith and Nikki Sudden references in there, but nothing too tragic. Some potential horsemen of the apocalypse, but only three. There is a small chance of survival.”
As of July 21, ‘Got Enough’ will be available digitallyand you can find a whole slew of online stores where it’s available at https://ffm.to/zblv7ax
SINGLE CREDITS
Neil Leyton – vocals
Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost – vocals, Viola Amarantina, Mellotron, shakers
João Sousa – drums, Adufe and backing vocals
Abel Beja – viola Terceira and backing vocals
António “ToZé” Bexiga – Viola Campaniça, Adufe, Piano, backing vocals
Janne Olsson – bass, Viola Beirão and backing vocals
Written by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Published by Lusitanian Music Publishing
Produced by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Recorded at Clouds Hill Studios, Hamburg
Engineered & mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt
Assisted by Schulie Pieper
Mastered by Chris von Rautenkranz at SoundGarden Hamburg
Cover art photography by Swedish photographer Stina Wigg
Keep up with Lusitanian Ghosts
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact
