{"product_id":"hour-ghost-bridge","title":"Hour - Ghost Bridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe title of \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e, the East-Coast-spanning chamber ensemble \u003cstrong\u003eHour’s\u003c\/strong\u003e fifth record, is less metaphorical than one might expect. Bandleader \u003cstrong\u003eMichael Cormier-O’Leary\u003c\/strong\u003e repurposed it from an unrealized movie concept about a bridge that inexplicably starts disappearing. On the nearly-ten-minute title track of this richly imaginative suite of songs—written for a 13-piece ensemble that includes woodwinds, strings, and vibraphone as well as a rock rhythm section—Hour conjures up this central image with spectral string harmonics and free-time percussion gestures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile writing the keyboard pieces that became the takeoff point for the album, Cormier-O’Leary also found himself reflecting on the loss of loved ones or even his own mortality. The six kaleidoscopic instrumental pieces on \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e, though, feel more cosmically inquisitive than straightforwardly elegiac, sketching a progression from existential doubt toward understanding and acceptance. \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e forms a contrast with Hour’s art-rock-informed, more improvisatory early releases, representing a step further into intricate chamber orchestration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnown for his work with \u003cstrong\u003eFriendship\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eWendy Eisenberg\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003e2nd Grade\u003c\/strong\u003e, Phillybased multi-instrumentalist and \u003cstrong\u003eDear Life Records\u003c\/strong\u003e founder Cormier-O’Leary has made Hour a home for increasingly cinematic instrumental compositions since the mid-2010s. With dazzling production by \u003cstrong\u003eLucas Knapp\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e delivers plenty of the live ensemble’s trademarks, especially cyclically developing guitar and keyboard melodies. However, even more than on Hour’s last studio album, unconventional harmonies and sophisticated counterpoint take center stage here. These emotionally multifaceted compositions feel as rooted in contemporary classical and film soundtrack music as in indie rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most striking elements of \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e is the more significant developmental role the orchestral instruments assume in each piece. Instead of underscoring Cormier-O’Leary’s central hooks, there is a new mesmerizing level of detail to the group’s conversational interactions and kinetic energy. \u003cem\u003e“Centralia”\u003c\/em\u003e is a stately and idiosyncratic fugue built from repeated and overlapping phrases, while \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge’s\u003c\/em\u003e compositions are full of unexpected pivots in harmony that allow recurring melodic motifs to sound continually reshaded. On \u003cem\u003e“Pearls,”\u003c\/em\u003e the chords modulate drastically around Cormier-O’Leary’s inviting central melody in a way that emulates cuts in a film telling several parallel stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is an unsettled quality to the chords on \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e, with Cormier-O’Leary’s progressions avoiding firm grounding in either clearly sunny or melancholy tonalities. This mood is made more concrete by the record’s sole vocal track, the jazz-inflected \u003cem\u003e“Sky is Blue,”\u003c\/em\u003e featuring an uncannily gorgeous performance by \u003cstrong\u003eHeeyoon Won\u003c\/strong\u003e. The song seems to be a communication from a person who has departed, offering consolation or perspective to someone left behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough its sonic palette is often tranquil, \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e explores heartbreak, grief, anger, and helplessness in a distinct and pretense-free way. The project represents a bold step forward for Cormier-O’Leary as a composer and arranger, and on \u003cem\u003eGhost Bridge\u003c\/em\u003e Hour reaches its most fully realized form to date, connecting soaring themes with an inventiveness that perfectly suits the searching nature of the subject matter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DEAR LIFE RECORDS","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":59289283625305,"sku":"SDZ-51753","price":27.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":59289283658073,"sku":"SDZ-51754","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/CargoRecords_242115711252949_6630483296817985945_hour-ghost-bridge.png?v=1788452998","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/hour-ghost-bridge","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}