Ghost Map - The Ocean from the River

Anyone who thinks musicians are arty-farty layabouts obviously isn’t familiar with Jeff Martin. Not content with releasing three albums under his own name and two with the brilliant Halfset, the workaholic Dubliner conjures up another satisfying alias. Leaving to one side his electronic instruments, Ghost Maps is Martin embracing his organic side, with piano from Lambchop’s Tony Crow and drums from Tortoise’s John McEntire. It’s as warm and welcoming as a fairy godmother in a Disney cartoon.
Anyone looking for an adrenaline rush should stop reading now. The pace rarely rises above a light jog. That’s no bad thing. From the masterful, multi-layered ‘The Ocean And A Lover’, featuring the finest choral backing vocals this side of Justin Vernon, to the gentle guitar and vocals of ‘Fade’ or ‘There’, the project is slow and haunting. Only penultimate track ‘The Valley’ works up much of a sweat, galloping its way towards a distortion-heavy crescendo.
Echoes are a constant lyrical touchstone: from the rather lovely ‘The Morning Echoes’ to the bleeding, bittersweet ‘Echoes Last Forever’, Martin’s almost whispered vocals are to the fore. ‘Hollow Castles’ is a disarmingly simple love song, where Martin admits, “I would risk regret for you.” Meanwhile, the wonderfully titled ‘If I Knew
Where I Was, I’d Be There’ is a beautifully elegiac instrumental featuring an understated string section.
When a musician is as prolific as Martin, the risk is that there could be some lapses in quality (Ryan Adams, I’m looking at you). That seems not to be the case here. The Ocean From The River is a consistently beautiful record that’s just the right side of fuzzy.

Key Track: 'Vanilla'