Horror film director turned musician John Carpenter has streamed his brand new single Wheeping Ghost. The song is taken from Carpenter's upcoming album Lost Themes III: Alive After Death, which will be released through the Sacred Bones label on February 5. You can see artwork, tracklisting and listen to Wheeping Ghost in full below.
“We begin with a theme, a bass line, a pad, something that sounds good and will lead us to the next layer,” says Carpenter of the recording process. “We then just keep adding on from there. We understand each other's strengths and weaknesses, how to communicate without words, and the process is easier now than it was in the beginning. We’ve matured."
Once again joining Carpenter on Lost Themes III: Alive After Death are his son Cody and Godson Daniel Davies (son of Kinks guitarist Dave Davies) who have composed and performed as a trio since the first Lost Themes album in 2015: on studio albums, on soundtracks, and onstage.
Following the release of Lost Themes II in 2016, the group went on their first-ever concert tour, performing material from the Lost Themes albums, as well as music from Carpenter’s classic film scores. They re-recorded many of those classic movie themes for 2017’s Anthology album. The following year, John was asked to executive produce and compose the music for the new Halloween movie directed by David Gordon Green, which promptly became the highest-grossing instalment in the series.
Whereas the original Lost Themes album came as a surprise after years of relative silence from Carpenter, the third instalment sees him in the midst of a resurgent moment as a cultural force. The 2018 Halloween score gave his music its biggest audience in decades, and the world he releases his new album into is one that has, at long last, given him the credit he deserves as a founding father of modern electronic prog.
Carpenter has previously streamed Skeleton and Clean Spirit.
Pre-order Lost Themes III: Alive After Death.
John Carpenter: Lost Themes III: Alive After Death
1. Alive After Death
2. Weeping Ghost
3. Dripping Blood
4. Dead Eyes
5. Vampire’s Touch
6. Cemetery
7. Skeleton
8. Turning the Bones
9. The Dead Walk
10. Carpathian Darkness