“Memory Drawings is an Anglo/American collective led by Minneapolis-raised, Casablanca-based hammered dulcimer player Joel Hanson (Judgement Of Paris), alongside guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Richard Adams (Hood, The Declining Winter, Western Edges), violinist Sarah Kemp (Lanterns On The Lake, Brave Timbers), pianist Gareth S Brown (Hood) and multi-instrumentalist Chris Cole (Movietone, Manyfingers). Since 2012 they have released three albums and two EPs on labels such as Second Language, Hibernate Recordings, Zozaya Records and their own Signal Records. 'Phantom Lights,' originally self-released by the band last year as a very limited tour CD and now getting a wider release by Sound In Silence, is a short form album that moves on from the marvelous sweeping 'The Nearest Exit' album with a pick and mix example of what this band are good at.”

The previous is record label text, cut 'n' pasted as an introduction to the band. This is a very brief album with only six tracks at 24 minutes. Now you'd think with all the indie cred and the eclectic instrumentation that you'd be getting a WOW of an album in the 24 minutes they've allotted here. Not so much, unfortunately as it is rather low key depending more on atmosphere than captivating melodies. The opening piece "The Other Side" shows promise but never develops much beyond its wispy atmosphere. Title track "Phantom Lights" sounds like a rehearsal/jam session for working out a theme for a lightweight Netflix medieval fantasy romance (I'm sure they'll do one eventually) and is really too abstract and improvisational within its rigid arpeggiated confines to have much of an impact. "Two Rooms" begins with some promising ambience, and may be the best piece on this mini-album with simple lilting melodic content, but still comes off like incidental or outro music for the previously hinted-at romantic medieval series. My feeling on this has more to do with the hammered dulcimer which is played less adventurously (with simple arpeggios) than it could have been, just blending in with the other instruments and not taking much of the lead. I guess this is just Hanson's technique. Much of the rest of the album carries on the same way, excepting the final track, "Captivated," which departs from the instrumental format with Yvonne Brunner's vocals. This song really makes Memory Drawings sound like a band and Brunner's voice and the melody are very nice, but whatever delay/processing was used on the vocal was just wrong and distracting rather than enhancing. I don't know the circumstances surrounding this collaborative effort, but it just seems to fall short of being really good. Still, 'Phantom Lights' has its moments. Limited edition of 300.