Of all the no-name albums I've stumbled upon this year, I am shocked this one has not received more attention. It's been given rave reviews almost everywhere, yet no one seems to know about this guy.
If Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Grizzly Bear and Andrew Bird were in a plane crash and their spirits got together and made music, it would sound like this album. Recording from his basement, Stith incorporates a lot of elements from his immediate surroundings including pots and pans, coffee mugs, and staples, adding some interesting textures to the already lush, multi-layered orchestrations and vocal harmonies. The result is down-right eerie in some parts, but makes for a great listen.
"Stith is a shy guy of conflicted christian stock, a graphic designer by trade whose previous claim to music fame was owning the computer on which my brightest diamond recorded its debut. Yet Heavy Ghost, Stith's debut, is nothing short of a masterpiece of mood and texture, an album that sounds as if it was devised in equal parts by a seasoned composer and an inspired amateur." -
A.V. Club