Reunited Vancouver indie-rock outfit Apollo Ghosts have released their first record in seven years. It's called Living Memory, and it's an ambient album that was recorded solo by frontman Adrian Teacher.
This sounds nothing live the jangly, punk-leaning rock Apollo Ghosts are usually known for; instead, it hews closer to the album Teacher released under the name Arbutus back in 2014. Teacher recorded Living Memory using a free spinet piano acquired on Craigslist, plus some stock Logic plugins. He spent a year making the album, recording early in the morning, and the results were mixed by Dave Carswell of JC/DC Studios.
In a statement, Teacher explained that the album was inspired by death: both of his father, who has Alzheimer's, and of cedar trees that are being killed by climate change (itself a result of colonialism).
He wrote in a statement, "Many of the songs are expressions of some of my most vivid memories of my father. If I can give those memories form, maybe I can relive them, engage with them, set them aside, and then appreciate the time with my father still left to me. Maybe, when my memory also fades, I can at least listen to the songs for a reminder of my memories of him."
All proceeds from the album will go towards the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the UNIST'OT'TEN Legal Fund.
Hear Living Memory below. Also below, see a forest-filled video for the track "Western Red Cedar," with visuals that touch directly on the death of the titular tree.
This sounds nothing live the jangly, punk-leaning rock Apollo Ghosts are usually known for; instead, it hews closer to the album Teacher released under the name Arbutus back in 2014. Teacher recorded Living Memory using a free spinet piano acquired on Craigslist, plus some stock Logic plugins. He spent a year making the album, recording early in the morning, and the results were mixed by Dave Carswell of JC/DC Studios.
In a statement, Teacher explained that the album was inspired by death: both of his father, who has Alzheimer's, and of cedar trees that are being killed by climate change (itself a result of colonialism).
He wrote in a statement, "Many of the songs are expressions of some of my most vivid memories of my father. If I can give those memories form, maybe I can relive them, engage with them, set them aside, and then appreciate the time with my father still left to me. Maybe, when my memory also fades, I can at least listen to the songs for a reminder of my memories of him."
All proceeds from the album will go towards the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the UNIST'OT'TEN Legal Fund.
Hear Living Memory below. Also below, see a forest-filled video for the track "Western Red Cedar," with visuals that touch directly on the death of the titular tree.