During the pandemic it became more and more common for artists to create music over expanses of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers as lockdowns, inter-state and international travel restrictions disallowed folks to get to where they needed to be. Around that time, it became less of a surprise to even see new projects formed over such distances thanks to the power of the internet, musicians having more free time on their hands (due to sitting at home and not being able to tour), and the magic of file-sharing. So the ethnic / geographic composition of the artists we present today should come as no surprise whatsoever.
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Lusitanian Ghosts is analternative neo-folk collective with members coming together from Portugal, Sweden and Canada. However, it is organic and the songwriting and performing dynamic is all done face to face on the European continent. This is also a project with a twist, the band members beautifully fulfilling their mission to resurrect lost Portuguese chordophones and other European string instruments, promoting ancient sounds in the 21st century.
Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, this 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.
A few months ago, the band released their upbeat and danceable single ‘The Long Train’. Now they are back with‘Shameless’, a song about love, regret and reconciliation, which previews their forthcoming ‘Lusitanian Ghosts III’ album (out in autumn via European Phonographic). There’s something in this song that kicks my mind’s memory back to REM’s ‘Losing My Religion’, although the Ghosts’ offering is more uptempo and themed otherwise. It might be the use of traditional string instrument and the endearing quality this brings to a song.
Founded by Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost, the collective is currently made up of João Sousa, Abel Beja (from Primitive Reason), ToZé Bexiga (from Raia) and Jan-Eric Olsson, performing on traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, ancient regional guitars like the Amarantina, Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Toeira and 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.
From a deep love of rock n roll rooted in strong vocal traditions from Elvis Presley to David Bowie, Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost craft folk-rock songs that will appeal to fans of The Waterboys, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and newer alt-folk-rock experimental crossings of rock n roll with other genres and traditions, like XIXA.
“We were having a photo shoot with Katja Ruge at Clouds Hill in Hamburg and she was telling us over and over again to look fierce. So there I was, lookin’ all fierce when this really cool, post-punkish bass line appeared in my head. It just kept going so, as soon as we had a little break, I took Janne aside and asked him to play it on the Rickenbacker bass. When I heard it I started singing ”Shameless” to myself and quickly gathered Abe and ToZe to play some chords, Johnny to play some rhythm on his knees and Neil to sing some backup,” explains Micke Ghost.
“The song kind of wrote itself and pretty soon we were all singing Shameless from the top of our lounges. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes from when I heard the bass line until it was finished. We recorded it really quick pretty much live off the floor right after the photo shoot was over. Sometimes you get lucky. Shamelessly lucky!”
Engineered and mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub) at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, the Ghosts once again offer a brilliant taste of the sonic prism through which they present ancient sounds in the 21st Century.
Recorded and mixed on analogue tape, this music features the violas Amarantina, Campaniça and Terceira in glorious mono and stereo versions, bringing a new vintage chordophone rock n roll sound from the Ghosts. It was tracked on a Studer A820 2″ analogue tape machine, mixed down to 1/4 inch tape on the AEG Magnetophon 15 A, including both stereo and mono mixes.
Lusitanian Ghosts’ sophomore album ‘Exotic Quixotic’ was released with a Deluxe Edition featuring bonus tracks, adaptations of the title track into Portuguese and Polish, feat. Joana Negrão (A Cantadeira) and Misia Furtak.
As of June 6, ‘Shameless’ will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
SINGLE CREDITS
Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost – vocals and Viola Amarantina
António “ToZé” Bexiga – Viola Campaniça
Janne Olsson – bass and Viola Beirão
João Sousa – drums and Adufe
Abel Beja – viola Terceira, backing vocals
Neil Leyton – fashionista vibes, backing vocals
Written by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost
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
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