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Ghostplane: Beneath the Sleepy Lagoon

In keeping with their earlier thematic EP release, 'Panther Valley Country Club', the debut full-lengther from Ghostplane is again strongly theme-based and acts as an extension to the story set up by the EP. Creating their own territory someplace between indie pop and alt country, Wellington's Ghostplane have produced a sound replete with understated complexity, requiring multiple listens - and repaying dividends for your efforts. With the recording process taking place over several studios, the album came together with a concentrated mixing session at Nic McGowan's Island Bay studio, with all manner of production whims catered to, such as feeding the recording through the large, cold former church studio and re-recording the resulting sound into the mixes. Peter Stenhouse's artwork is stunning - you'll want to put it on your wall rather than hide it away in your CD rack - and in combination with the substantial musical content creates a dark, almost Gothic, red velvet and low-light atmosphere.