MICHA ACHER - Henry And The Ghosts Songbook

Micha Acher is above all a core and fundamental member of Notwist, but he's also part of Tied & Tickled Trio, of Alien Ensemble, and one half of the duo Ms. John Soda. A composer and multi-instrumentalist, he chose to draw from his varied body of work to shape his solo debut, a first record that isn't really solitary at all. For "Henry And The Ghosts Songbook" he in fact enlisted a proper ensemble to radically rework the scores written for the various projects he's part of.

With electronics pared right down to the bone, the path chosen here is one of purely acoustic chamber music, one that lets the sheer variety of instruments involved take centre stage, from his sousaphone to a mix of horns, guitar, banjo, piano and rhythm section. A rearrangement job that leaves precious little of the originals intact, moving through melancholic atmospheres built on unhurried, knowing tempos that nonetheless keep a light touch and make for a pleasant listen. "Radio Four", with its mild gait and reined-in brass, and the placid unfolding of "34E", with low reverbs acting as a kind of module, are perfect examples of the record's overall imprint.

It would be a mistake, though, to picture "Henry And The Ghosts Songbook" as a uniform, tendentially dull journey. "When Hamlet Left Town" opens with spectral electronics that introduce and accompany the guitar, the banjo on "Modest Farewell" has a strong cinematic quality, and "Aelita", with its toy piano, achieves a choral feel that's both mournful and playful at once.
Granted, fifteen tracks is still a lot for an album that, however varied, is played out entirely within a single expressive mode. Some trimming would have made for a smoother listen, letting the versatility of Acher's writing take the foreground.

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30/06/2026