Daniel Davies - Ghost Of The Heart (New Vinyl)

In the last decade, Daniel Davies has become a lauded composer of atmospheric, synth-heavy instrumental music - for film and TV scores, alongside John Carpenter on the director's "Lost Themes" albums, and on solo releases like "Signals" and "Spies". But in his previous musical life, Davies was a rocker, touring all over the world with heavy bands like Year Long Disaster and Karma To Burn. After setting rock music aside to focus on his soundtrack and instrumental work, the multi-instrumentalist has found himself falling back in love with loud guitars over the past couple of years. "Ghost Of The Heart", the first full-length alt-rock album Davies has ever released under his own name, captures the excitement of that rediscovered love. The songs on the album don't fit neatly into any one subgenre: they're moody, heavy, and a little proggy, but with a strong pop sensibility and lots of melody. The album divulges Davies' affinity for hooky, forward-thinking bands like Radiohead and Blur, but more than anything, "Ghost Of The Heart" feels natural, like he's tapping back into something fundamental about himself as a musician.