Received Ghost Town Burning (BLACKJACK ILLUMINIST) from The Lonely Bell, i.e. Ali Murray from Isle of Lewis in north Scotland. He’s been making records under this name since 2015, mostly release with rather abstract cover art and with evocative titles redolent of hidden depths, long walks in the bleak countryside, and tremendous melancholy and sorrow. Sadly I can’t find much originality in Ghost Town Burning, which is pretty ordinary ambient washiness, but Murray is evidently serious about what he’s doing and there’s a home-made dimension to this introspective music, all made at home on portable equipment, which is endearing. Part of me hopes for more development and structure in the endless layered drones, but another part says that it’s nice he stays in one place for so long. The Lonely Bell’s overall sound is a little over-familiar, but at least it’s not too slick or over-produced. (20/03/2023)
