Smoke Fairies: Ghosts

Ghosts is “A Collection of A-sides, B-sides & an EP from the recent past”, by London’s Smoke Fairies, and it can be as enervating as it is enthralling. Some listeners may find themselves powerless to resist its charms. The ethereal vocal harmonies of Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire entwine with the dark, forbidding folk and sooty, sinister-sounding blues to conjure up an atmosphere worthy of both the band’s name and the album’s title. Though the tracks were taken from different releases, Ghosts comes across as very much of a piece. All of the songs evoke imagery that blends a sense of ancient Anglo-Celtic myths with American Appalachian mystery, and this musical alchemy is especially apparent on the hauntingly lovely “Living With Ghosts”.