Bear & Pieces: Rooples : Query

Baltimore's Lost Ghosts Records is home to a few lesser known endeavors, most of which are certainly worth your while. Heavy on art and personal touch, the tunes ain't too shabby either.

If you didn't catch the label's release show at the Zodiac a few weeks back, chances are you've missed out on some pretty fantastic artists. Bear & Pieces has put out a plethora of limited-run releases, and is the focal point of Lost Ghosts. Chris Day is the entirety of Bear & Pieces, and also a member of Witch Hat.

Chris's solo project is full of swirling melodies, ambient bedroom soundscapes at their purest. With looping guitar churns that fade in and out, rich layers are often dwarfed by blissful simplicity. While diving into Wisdom Has No Gaurd and the digital "Allison" single are recommended, Rooples : Query portrays his work in a very appealing light.

This disc is highly limited with only 30 pressings available, and features three hefty tracks from the late summer of 2007. One might assume Chris utilized the common practice of laptop editing, a standard with most lo fi bedroom artists these days. But, Rooples : Query is amazingly all recorded straight to tape. This provides just enough sunny analog fuzz, and leaves the work to bare all of it's natural essence.

These tracks are highly recommended when in need of some heavy zoning out, and are the perfect accomplice to any need for late night inspiration. The sound bites mixed into his other works are enjoyable, particularly when the "sky falls" on Wisdom Has No Guard. But the stripped down nature of this release is truly hypnotic, and quite beautiful.

You can find some of the Bear & Pieces releases as free downloads over at the Lost Ghosts blog, including a recording of his set opening up for Ponytail at Floristee in 2008. Splurging the five bucks for any of these albums is an obvious choice, and do be sure to check out some of their other fine artists.