“Phantom Lightkeeper is soundtrack-ready nightmare surf that is expertly played.” - Brook Hoover of The Surf Zombies
Shore Ghosts is the debut album from Phantom Lightkeeper, the new solo music project from Justin Beahm, who is best known for his documentary film work for Paramount Pictures, Shout! Factory, and Arrow Video. With Phantom Lightkeeper, Beahm trades visual storytelling for a new experiment in instrumental surf that brings haunting atmosphere, fuzzed out sludge, and cinematic soundscapes into the mix.
Landing October 10th from Reverend Releasing, in conjunction with Waxwork Records, Shore Ghosts will be limited to 100 hand-numbered copies pressed on spooky white vinyl, and also available on CD. Pre-orders are open now at PhantomLightkeeper.com and come with the immediate download of bonus track “Fire Spirits.” Digital pre-orders on Bandcamp.com come with the immediate download of the album’s first single “Red Tide.”
With Phantom Lightkeeper, Beahm plays all instruments and wears his influences on his sleeve. Echoes of Dick Dale, The Melvins, David Lynch, and Link Wray are heard throughout. “Sundance (For Link)” is dedicated to Wray, whom Beahm befriended on the legendary guitarist’s US tour in 1997. “All Hallow’s Eve” is a rowdy reworking of the iconic theme from Halloween (1978), presented as a tribute to John Carpenter and the film franchise that played a key role in Beahm’s early film industry forays. “Idyllwild” evokes the serene peace found in the namesake California mountain town Justin refers to as his “home away from home.”
“Phantom Lightkeeper is a mix of many things I love,” Beahm says. “I have been a drummer all my life, but when I picked up the guitar it really lit a fire in me, and the music grew into a hybrid of everything I listen to and watch. The foundation is classic surf, but I kept feeling the urge to transition to heavy moments and add things like a funeral dirge, church organ, snarling monsters, a ghostly chorus, and ambient sounds of isolation like rain, wind, and autumnal dread.”
“Stephen King has always maintained he starts writing without a plan and follows his characters wherever they lead him, and it was the same with me and the tracks on Shore Ghosts,” Beahm shares. “It was a process of discovery and so fun to follow the music wherever it led me. The end result is one of the most creatively satisfying experiences I have ever had, and I hope listeners enjoy.”
PHANTOMLIGHTKEEPER.COM (For details and pre-ordering vinyl/CD)
PHANTOM LIGHTKEEPER ON BANDCAMP (For digital album pre-order)
