Night Genes "Two Phantoms & a Holy Ghost" (Independet 2009)

Night Genes…good night…

Night Genes is a musical project, an adventure, started by Eric Ingersoll to explore the songs written by night and a light, between four walls, and two ears, and two temples. They are songs that were pining to get out and see the lack of light at night. Songs written that needed a voice; a deep voice. Songs that needed out and into the ears of others, if for no other reason than to see what the little guys could do.

Eric needed help and encouragement though. So he enlisted the help of his friends that had fostered him. Streeter Johnson lent his computer brain skills, Russ Lodge lent his arms-of-the metronome, Chad Cooke lent his hair, Kelly Lynae lent her voice, as did Kelli Vincen. Night Genes is music inspired by sounds, by stories, by people, by thinking, by everything.

The inside cover features Eric Ingersoll sitting in the middle of a stream strumming his acoustic guitar – as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. The trouble with this record is that it’s all the same and we’ve heard so much of this lo-fi Americana it’s only right we call time on this. ‘Disposition Darlin’ at least sees Eric coming out of the dirge that engulfs the opening tracks, ‘English Summer’ closes the record which sounds like a Nick Drake outtake and it’s the best song on the record with Eric sounding like the late John Stewart.

Despite the above, this is very much an 'Americana' record full of acoustic musings and lyrical obscurities and I’m sure some hardy 'Americana' fans will love this.

Date review added:  Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reviewer:  andy riggs
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Artist MySpace