THE GHOST ORCHID "An Introduction to EVP" (Ash International R.I.P.) 14.98 Essentially, The Conet Project From Beyond The Grave!! Huh? Peter Becker, who used to work for Asphodel (R.I.P.), has presented an interesting theory that The Conet Project (the awesome 4 cd documentation of shortwave radio "numbers stations") was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. While we think that he's mistaken and that plenty of evidence points to the validity of The Conet Project, here is a far more questionable recording, because you've got to believe in ghosts rather than a more corporeal conspiracy...

The Ghost Orchid documents instances of something called "Electronic Voice Phenomenon", the paranormal appearance of strange voices (which at times sing and speak in multiple languages) on magnetic tape when there shouldn't be any voices there at all... Respected parapsychologists have postulated that these voices are those of dead people (i.e. ghosts) or possibly of extraterrestrial origin! Unlike The Conet Project, which cross referenced the audio tracks with written information, The Ghost Orchid presents these recordings with the audio commentary of one of several researchers (Nadia Fowler, Raymond Cass, and Lief Elggren - the Swedish performance/audio artist and a part time collaborator with the Hafler Trio), explaining the findings. These recordings are the findings of a number of parapsychologists including Dr. Konstantine Raudive, Friedrich Jurgenson, and Raymond Cass.

While there is something wholly terrifying about these recordings, there is an absurd question about these ghostly voices that we have to ask...Why are the majority of these recordings in Latvian? Our resident Latvian, Byram, is unable to answer this question...but perhaps we will hear from him in the afterlife...at any rate, The Ghost Orchid manages to be both spooky and silly, and is definitely a fascinating listen from a pure sound perspective regardless of how disturbing and/or amusing you might find the alleged sound source itself...you might laugh at the voice of "Winston Churchill", for instance, spouting nonsense from the netherworld, but it's still a gripping, dark sound document.

A word of caution, Jim's copy of this cd disappeared from its case on the Aquarius counter-top at 6:35PM on 5/8/99 and reappeared in puddle of ectoplasmic goo at 3:20 PM on 5/9/99. Haunting.

Aquarius (USA)