The Flashcards: Great Ghost – 1000 Years of Good Luck (2020)

70+/100

Genre: Ambient, atmospheric downtempo, vaporwave, electronica

On the whole, I can still tolerate the beats used by this Queens, New York artist because they are kept at a low intensity. The additions of synths, basslines, and hums give it texture, and there are vaporwave elements on tracks like "Emerald Transport" and "Nocturnal Theme"—which feel like a rustling breeze right as you're going to sleep, complete with minimal piano notes. Meanwhile, "Jersey Devil" is accompanied by ambient swells and a sort of low-frequency glitch or stuttering sound that feels like the early onset of a windstorm. "Send You Off" could be considered a bright opening track, containing the most prominent electronic pulse. However, as usual, the purest ambient piece untouched by other instrumental interference remains my top pick, namely "p2p.waves."

This Great Ghost album might be best experienced during the early morning hours or used as music to fall asleep to.

Tracklist:

1. Send You Off

2. Strange Encounter With Light

3. Sun & Sun

4. Emerald Transport

5. Petal

6. Nocturnal Theme

7. Jersey Devil

8. Compliments

9. p2p.waves

10. Facets

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