I have always been a fan of artists who are able to truly master the use of the EP format. The opportunity to turn fifteen to twenty-five (or so) minutes into a cohesive miniature album demonstrates great skill. Tarentel has always been a considerable player in this field with numerous well crafted short-form releases on their resume. After a quiet spell for the band, they have been much more frequent with their releases of late, including three EPs. Ghost Weight is the latest, and best, of these discs. It is completely absorbing and engaging from start to finish.
The opening track, "Natoma," understatedly rumbles and chimes through it's brief playing time and flows directly into the disc's absolutely stellar title track. A gently lolling guitar melody starts in and deliberately sets up the track's continued tone. Layered with swirls and pulses of feedback and the ever-present presence of gently expressive drums, "Ghost Weight" simply excels. It is simultaneously a mild return to some of band's earlier epic tracks while also a demonstration of the growth and complexity that has been consistently added to their overall sound since that time. Offering a sort of contrast to the somewhat more organic sounds of the previous track, "Holy Throbs of Silence" lives up to its name with washes and pulses of sound which is somewhat similar to Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's solo work apart from Tarentel. The disc closes with the deliciously funereal "Every Possibility The Next Thing To A Certainty."
Ghost Weight is a excellent representation of the "newer" sound of Tarentel (since the addition of Jim Redd to the band) and a perfect place to lose yourself for half an hour.
