Ghosts of The Air

Originally formed as a side project towards the last couple of years of Motörhead by Phil Campbell, the former Motörhead guitarist of 32 years, the band decided to take it up a level and revealed the new name of Phil Campbell and the Bastard sons at Wacken Open Air 2016. A self-titled EP was released a few months later. Led by one of the genre’s most respected guitarists and completed by his sons Todd, Tyla and Dane the band emerged onto the 2017 touring circuit powered by a huge amount of good will, a smattering of Motörhead covers and a handful of new songs that crackled with passion and swagger. Landing themselves a prestigious support slot on Guns 'n' Roses 2017 summer stadium run, the Bastard sons hit the ground running.

Next to Ian Williams of Don Caballero (and now Battles), Victor Villareal is one of the most of the most inventive guitarists in indie rock. Villareal’s astonishing guitar work was first on display in the legendary emo outfit, Cap’n Jazz. He next appeared on the Owls’ full-length, which was essentially Cap’n Jazz minus Promise Ring member Davey von Bohlen. On the side, he played in Ghosts & Vodka, an instrumental rock band that also had a Cap’n Jazz/Owls connection, with Sam Zurick taking second guitar duties. It would turn out that Ghosts & Vodka would be more prolific than Owls, releasing a full length and seven-inch before disbanding. Drunks & Addicts is a discography of this overlooked band, collecting their entire recorded output, as well as a bonus unreleased track.

This master release groups versions of the sound installation created for the David Lynch exhibition "The Air Is On Fire" held at Fondation Cartier Pour L'Art Contemporain, Paris, in 2007.
Part of what makes it so cinematic is the way it balances the narrative and the abstract, much like Lynch’s films. There are clear steps and turns, obvious moves forward and significant retreats. But there are also moments of pure texture, in which creating an indefinite feeling is more important than painting a specific picture. There are points in between, too, and those are the most fascinating: a section that sounds like a slowed-down show tune underwater, a rumble that could either be the echo of a cave or the ghosts of human voices, a dramatic turn that’s like a symphonic string section shot into space…