Iglooghost is the stage name of British Electronic artist Seamus Malliagh. Now, Iglooghost, since Seamus started using this name, has been dishing out a series of mind-numbing, futuristic Electronic music. I first heard Ghost's music on his 2015 EP "Chinese Nü Yr". This was a short but eclectic and wild EP. There were bangers, but also just as many Electronic tracks that the more you sat with, it got more and more wild by the minute. There were some great features like the criminally underrated Mr. Yote, and while this EP was short, I had a blast listening to it. Ghost returned in 2017 with his first full-length album, "Neō Wax Bloom". And for the most part, this is exactly where I wanted to hear him. This was a very colorful and vast Electronic album. But it was just so progressive and showed Seamus really starting to test the waters of other instrumentals, and really letting his ideas come to life. Also, I was sort of worried that his ideas wouldn't fill up an album without getting a little boring. But clearly, I was wrong, because this album was a blast. Seamus is back with Iglooghost project and with not one but two EP's! And from the sound of it, he's more creative than ever! Let's chat! And yes, this is the second EP he released this week. If you want to read my thoughts on "Clear Tamei", check it here! -> http://thefinschise.blogspot.
This EP starts off with “First Vōids”, and between this and the other Iglooghost EP releases this week, he really does know how to get you on the edge of your seat. Hulking beats, sharp synths, and a strange amount of tension. It’s not amazing or genre-defying, but it reminds us of just what Ghost can do in such a short time. Now “Steel Mogu” on the other hand, is something incredible. There’s a gigantic sense of mystery here which is instantly doing so much for me. Ghost really isn’t getting ahead of himself here. He’s not blaring through some verses as soon as this one gets rolling. No, here he teases us with weird samples and a whole lot of ambient pieces. But then, as soon as everything does get rolling, things get exciting very quickly. We get this wild and upbeat verse, which contrasted to these very quiet and mysterious breaks, is actually pretty stunning. This also continues to down the very vast path the first EP we chatted about did. Ghost continues to make some of his biggest and most epic tracks to date. And I don’t know about you, but that excites the hell out of me. On the other hand, “Black Light Ultra” is instantly just as eye-opening and actually pretty stunning. We just get hit constantly with these big, beefy beats only to then be left with these ultra spacious atmospheres. There are actually some really accessible elements of modern and classic Dance and House music here as well, which makes this one of the more strangely catchy tracks of the bunch. Between that, the haunting vocal snippets and the glitchy production, this comes off like if Oneohtrix Point Never signed with the PC Music label and tried his hand at Dance music. I’m actually totally obsessed with this track. It’s a banger, but it’s one that will leave your mind in a ditch a hundred feet behind you.
On the other hand, “Mei Mode” is much more along the lines of what we’ve been hearing from Ghost lately. We have seriously wild synths, glitchy production, and sounds that you just don’t hear in the wildest of Electronic albums these days. Now, honestly, this one doesn’t slap me in the face nearly as much as the last two tracks. I do like the continued freakish vocal samples and all of these gigantic bass drops attacking at all angles. I actually LOVE a lot of this track, including the sort of world music influences we get in later moments. But I just feel like other tracks here have just been so much more progressive. Thankfully Ghost ends this EP off with a real ripper in the form of “Niteracer”. This one has the sense of urgency that I’ve been digging here so far. Like, in a way this sounds like a warped and twisted soundtrack to an F-Zero stage, in the absolute best way. Here, there’s such an interesting dynamic to the very whimsical underside this one that seems so carefree, compared to the very hectic and intense overtones that are just wild. I love the group vocal samples that end up giving this one such a chilling feel to it, and everything about this is so hard to place. Sounds whiz by you at a moments notice and don’t really care if you understood them at all, the production can blow your mind and not care if any chunk of your brain went flying. This is where I want to hear Iglooghost.
Rating: 7.9/10
Genre: Electronic
Overall Thoughts: Of the two EP’s we’ve gotten from Iglooghost this week, I honestly feel like this one is more of where I want to hear him. Don’t get me wrong, both are very progressive, epic Electronic works that show Ghost getting bigger by the day. But this EP has an urgency to it that I crave. Not only is it fueled by freakish samples, World Music influences, and genuinely twisted production, it demands to be heard immediately. There’s a sense of mystery to a lot of these tracks, and even some tension in parts, all alongside some elements of House and Dance making for some of Ghost’s most striking and immediate tracks to date.
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