LET ME BE A GHOST

KRISTOFFER GILDENLÖW, known with 'The Rain' and his cold, morbid, melancholy sensibility. He is known as the bassist of PAIN OF SALVATION, musician of DIAL and finally of KAYAK. He is a multi-instrumentalist who allows himself to send you with this 4th opus in cold universes where art-rock is king; psyche, dark crossover, indie pop, avant-garde and retro folk, all mixed up to make one think of SOLSTAFIR, JAPAN, Roger WATERS, BLACKFIELD and especially Leonard COHEN. Dark, melancholic atmospheres, filled with hope and musical freshness. An intimate record to listen to at nightfall to wash away the current sinister global atmosphere.

"Let Me Be a Ghost Pt. I" start soft, cold, deep, icy, minimalist; the dark, slow voice of Kristoffer. Dark whispers then a captivating intimate final climb to freeze you. "The Wind" on icy piano keys, vocal chord with Ronja to give warmth to this melancholy monolithic track up to the joyful drums-guitar sound explosion, the spleen seems to freeze the atmosphere and this piano which leaves in ether at the end! "Blame It All on Me" on an acoustic guitar basis, reminding me of his last album where I spoke of the late Leonard COHEN whose aura seems to me to hover here; a characteristic phrasing that allows you to dive into a melancholy rhyme of great beauty, an austere instrumental finale to finish.

"Falling, Floating, Sinking" and this startling spleen intro; icy but delicate, dark but filled with hope; Kristoffer uses his voice as an additional plaintive instrument to give more intensity to this morose title; the second hard part, heavy, unhealthy, refers to the shameful pleasure of associating the slowness of doom with progressive sidereal beauty; immense dreamlike title with its tribal percussion. "Fleeting Thought" with a crystalline riff giving in the wanderings of the PAIN OF SALVATION, search for simple and brutal emotion; a waltzing tune between the voice and the banjo guitar which also recalls ANATHEMA; plaintive, emotional, musical abyss with a high-end guitar solo by Marcel de KAYAK; title on mental distress magnified, enlivened; final in decrescendo as if to bring you to your senses and not to get lost.

"Fade Away" with a new shade of COHEN, a title where the voice is magnified by the basic guitar, or vice versa; it is vibrant, sumptuous, always bordering on imposing and important distress; keyboard tempo and voice. Here, I really have the impression of hearing a meow, keep the air on a cheerful note; almost paradoxical vis-à-vis the start, final which stretches again with some divine piano notes. "Don't" and its acoustic guitar, a title flayed as an extension, a surprising dark Andalusian atmosphere, background backing vocals and applause from the hands!

"Lean on Me" on a sound reminiscent of COHEN, ANATHEMA and PAIN OF SALVATION before exploding, a dark title that fills the air; warm choirs with the voice of Erna capsize you; Kristoffer uses his voice intensely, accompanied by an aerial guitar. "Let Me Be a Ghost Pt. II" for the vibrant instrumental remake, where the atmosphere refers for a time to the notes of 'The Wall', then the piano, a distant rolling reminiscent of an intro of TANGERINE DREAM, the guitar adds pleasant melancholy to capsize our senses; it's beautiful and dark, almost unreal. "Still Enough" for the most basic and moving title can be, voice scratched on an air of languid funeral march; the spleen is at this price, be careful remember to take a box of tissues.

"Where I Ought to Be" and the rising acoustic guitar, go the spaghetti western is not far; folk, country, emotionality, musical invitation to travel beyond borders, the most cheerful monolithic title. "Let Me Be a Ghost Pt. III" heady cover, softer here, as if to rest from this long journey; sudden atmosphere of the end of the world, it cracks, the piano, the guitar rather remind me of this brightening of the renewal of the World, the ANATHEMAs will love if they go through it, it's intense and torrid at the same time. "Look at Me Now" final lament, serenity, ethereal atmosphere of beauty, a little WATERS in the background, sometimes it does not take much to have the best!

Kristoffer therefore sends us to austere and luxuriant lands, dark, icy and filled with emotion; he does not content himself with spitting notes, he throws them in your face so that you breathe them and that they are incorporated into your gray substance; the minimalist side makes you think even more and participate in this musical maelstrom in which you will not return safe; an album bordering on concept for the musical darkness generated, an intimate and magnificent opus to listen to with headphones, strong on the system. To listen imperatively. Each listening may amaze you. Personally, it is even better than its predecessor and the rating may be higher for you depending on your current condition.

Deep Dive into the Dark Night of the Soul

PAIN OF SALVATION founder and leader is back with another solo release--this reaching really deep into his psyche.

1. "Let Me Be a Ghost - Pt. I" (3:39) spacious, tension-filled computer arpeggi over which Daniel sings in a plaintive voice--a voice that sounds as if he's at wit's end. The final minute is filled with what sounds like cave sounds and whisperings. Wow. What are we in for? (9/10)

2. "The Wind" (4:46) piano arpeggi joined by slower electric piano arpeggi. Daniel's voice joins in at 0:45--and then is seconded by himself before being joined by the ethereal, ghost-like voices of Ronja Gildenlöw and some computer-treated vocal tracks. Back to bare-bones piano and elec. piano at the end of the third minute for about 20 seconds before a full rock band and the full vocal ensemble kick in--sounding quite a lot like RESONAXIS's church-oriented prog. (8.5/10)

3. "Blame It All on Me" (4:57) sound very much like a classic LEONARD COHEN song--even down to the smokey café/lounge vocals and acoustic guitar. Part of me wants to laugh, part wants to take it like a Jacques Brel video from the 1975 film, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, only this is depressing. Daniel has done an admirable job catching a mood--a "period piece"--obviously intended to express the great mood of sarcasm of those European coffeehouse-style singers of the 50s and 60s. (8.5/10)

4. "Falling Floating Sinking" (5:02) opens with some ambient eerie electronica similar to those used by Mariusz Duda on his LUNATIC SOUL albums. When the vocal finally begins--deep into the second minute--it also sounds similar to a Mariusz--even into the chorus. At 3:28 the precarious quiet is broken wide open by some abrasive full-rock band chord play (with a bit of a Led Zeppelin feel to it), but everything calms back down for the final 25 seconds. (8.5/10)

5. "Fleeting Thought" (4:27) opens with some very familiar guitar chords/sounds from some of Daniel's classic Pain of Salvation albums of the early 21st Century. The multi-voice vocal development is also a bit reminiscent of some of those PoS songs. The bluesy chord progression and lead guitar play are, again, quite similar to 1970s LED ZEPPELIN (until Marcel Singor begins showing his modern prowess). Other than that, there is really very little development in this song. I don't like the sound effects used to create space on this one. (8.75/10)

6. "Fade Away" (5:31) Spanish guitar opens with electric and tuned percussion before another Leonard Cohen-like vocal enters. After the vocals finish around 1:30, a bluesy guitar solo ensues. There's quite a little PINK FLOYD The Wall feeling to this one. Nice tune. (8.75/10)

7. "Don't" (2:55) nylon string acoustic guitar picked and strummed over which Daniel sings in another raspy, whispery LEONARD COHEN/TOM WAITS-like performance. I really like the guitar sound and work here. I'm not sure this vocal styling has quite the effect that Daniel intends--whether or not his attempt to display his "Latin passion" is believable. Still, nice song. (8.75/10)

8. "Lean on Me" (5:09) Now here is something that sounds original! A little attempt at a Layne Staley vocal over some pizzicato-sounding solo bass picking. Nice vocal performances on the background vocal tracks by Daniel and Erna auf der Haar. A top three song for me. (9/10)

9. "Let Me Be a Ghost - Pt. II (3:43) cool instrumental that is atmospherics for the first half followed by piano arpeggi with heavy (and, later, light) electric guitar soloing over the top. Nice. (8.75/10)

10. "Still Enough" (5:16) electric piano MIDIed with tuned percussion lays down a poignant, almost eery child's lullaby over which Daniel eventually adds his deeply emotional whisper-vocal. Can a human bare his soul any more than this? Another top three song. Wow; devastatingly powerful. (9.25/10)

11. "Where I Ought to Be" (5:13) Spanish guitar and spacious background synth washes support Kristoffer's multi-track Mariusz Duda-like singing. There is, however, far more time dedicated to instrumental play here than singing; the singing just sets the scene for Kristoffer's emotion-packed expression through his multiple guitar and keyboard play. Drums join in for the final 90 seconds. Great song. Musically, probably my favorite on the album. (9.5/10)

12. "Let Me Be a Ghost - Pt. III" (3:31) the third revisitation to this plea for letting go. The spacious opening two minutes are affecting, but the full-band ramp up is really powerful. Another favorite. (9.25/10)

13. "Look at Me Now" (4:02) celestial sounds slowly moving through the soundscape, like clouds, for the first 1:25 before Kristoffer's scratchy, far-forward voice enters singing like with the poignancy and force of Leonard Cohen. (9/10)

Total Time 58:11

And incredibly deep, emotive, and stark journey into the dark night of the soul. Kristoffer's musical journey that Kristoffer takes me on reminds me of listening to cross between Leonard Cohen's deeper darkest music and Mariusz Duda's LUNATIC SOUL. The compositional and personal maturity exhibited here is extraordinary--with minimal layering or fills, a lot of stark arrangements with more tracks given to vocals than instrumentation--thus rendering greater the effectiveness on the listener's journey into darkness as despair.

B+/4.5 stars; a wonderfully emotional trip into the depths of human darkness that should be a welcome addition to any prog lover's music collection.

Born and raised in Sweden, multi-instrumentalist Kristoffer now lives in The Netherlands, playing in Kayak. Many people still think of him as being associated with his brother Daniel, and he played on the first six Pain of Salvation studio albums but since leaving in 2006 has built a reputation working with many different artists. 'Let Me Be A Ghost' is his fourth solo album, released towards the end of 2021, following on from 'Rust' (2012), 'The Rain' (2016) and 'Homebound' (2020). I reviewed the last, and I was intrigued at just how much at home he sounded with the one cover, Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel #2"

I many ways this is a logical extension of that album, as it is melancholic, and is something which really needs to be played on headphones. The songs are more like soundscapes, with a huge use of space and a slow tempo which really lets the listener into what in many ways feels likes quite a private world. Yes, there are a few additional singers and a drummer, but for the most part this is one person sat quietly, crafting something which is magical and mystical. "Lean On Me" is a case in point, gentle percussion, acoustic guitar, electric solo, and loads and loads of vocals including a wonderful high female from Erna auf der Haar who provides the perfect cut through.

This is not something designed to be played on the radio, nor can I imagine it ever being played in an arena, but is designed for small places, in the dark where the listener can really let their mind wander where it will. This is a marvellous piece of work and I look forward to the next album with great interest indeed.