TLR 125: meg baird & mary lattimore ghost forests LP, CD, digital
released november 9, 2018. oxidized transparent green vinyl. a limited opaque orange vinyl LP is exclusively available from rough trade. the coke bottle clear vinyl LP and the black vinyl LP (2018) are out of print. CD $12 postpaid (within the US).
listen / download on bandcamp at this link.
meg baird and mary lattimore’s collective work—as solo artists, band members, and collaborators—could fill a small record collection. despite this productivity, these two long-time friends have never recorded an entire album focused exclusively on their unique talents. ghost forests mysteriously, thrillingly fills that void.
independently, baird and lattimore have each cultivated highly individual and idiosyncratic tools of expression. baird’s timeless and soaring voice, guitar, and drums have underpinned pastoral and folk rock explorations as a soloist and in band settings with espers and heron oblivion. lattimore’s albums of enigmatic, spectral experimental harp sounds move and unfold like films and nature itself. the list of artists that have called upon their voices, talents, and visions to enrich their own work is expansive—a virtual pocket encyclopedia of contemporary indie and experimental musicians.
over the course of ghost forests’ six collaborative compositions we hear deeply sympathetic conversations between the two artists. with access to a deep pool of shared influences, these two friends assembled a collection of sounds conjured from harp, guitar (both acoustic and electric), synths, the human voice, and a shared poetic language. baird and lattimore’s subjects range from the sound of light on water, seismic geopolitical anxiety, the smog-exploded sunsets of don dudley’s paintings, and vertigo from their respective relocations to san francisco and los angeles from their once-shared home in philadelphia. the synthesis of their vision welcomes listeners who might have been familiar with only one of the performer’s solo oeuvres. it also speaks to long-time fans both artists who have long wondered what this dream collaboration might yield.
steve gunn has long known baird and lattimore and worked with both on his own albums. he says “meg baird and mary lattimore are two musicians that i greatly admire. ghost forests is an ace meld of their abilities; meg’s guitar and voice, and mary’s harp lead each other (and us) into further regions of the strata. with each song you can hear this remarkable kinship. i’m thankful for this soundtrack.”
ghost forests’ musical conversations are intimate, fluid, effortless and spontaneous. they’re filled with the euphoria of creation and, at times, they articulate hard truths and tangled emotions with an ease only trusted friends can manage. the songs alternate between extended ethereal instrumental excursions, gauzy and dreamy pop, blown-out Bull of the Woods heavy haze, and modern reimaginations of epic traditional balladry—all while touching on the strange and otherworldly places between these stations.
with ghost forests baird and lattimore have given us all a timeless gift that generously rewards immersion and deep investigation. it is our collective good fortune as listeners that we are able to eavesdrop on their conversation through these songs. it is also a wonder to hear two unique artists interact to such beautifully original ends.
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ghost forests is the first full collaborative album from meg baird and mary lattimore. it was recorded in january 2018 in los angeles with thom monaghan. the original edition (approximately 1000 copies) was pressed on 140 gram dutch black vinyl by record industry. the 2021 versions were pressed in virginia by furnace manufacturing on coke bottle clear 140g vinyl (approximately 550 copies) and opaque orange (rough trade exclusive edition of 100 copies) 140g vinyl. all versions housed within a full color gatefold jacket bearing photographs of sculptures by jeff root. it was mastered by patrick klem. ghost forests was released on november 9, 2018.
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iä! shub-niggurath!