It's great that the Ghost Box label has started to release stuff on vinyl because finally the packaging does justice to the label's brilliant artwork and music. Previously everything came out in jewell-cased CDs which was mildy disappointing. This year's releases have been a mix of vinyl re-issues of early hard to get releases (Belbury Poly's "Farmer's Angle" and the Advisory Council's "Mind How You Go") and a collection of 7 inch singles by various artists including Broadcast as part of a "Study Series" (now up to number 4). Musically all this is typical Ghost Box fare - and that means wonderfully evocative folky electronica that nods heavily to library music. But it's really been the medium as much as the message that has upped the ante for the label. In terms of music and design Ghost Box had already nailed the essential requirements for a boutique label: a strong coherent identity and an ability to turn obscurity into a sellable commodity. It all looked and sounded great until you got one of those CDs with it's excellent artwork printed on flimsy grade paper slotted into the ubiquitous jewell case. Somehow the lustre of the label took a dip at the point of purchase. Everything was special except the object. But the move to vinyl releases has finally meant that the cake has got icing on it. All this year's releases come robustly packaged with beautiful artwork printed on chunky card with the music pressed onto satisfyingly heavy vinyl. In the case of the two re-issued mini-albums they came out on 10 inch vinyl which many agree is the coolest (ie least common) format. So all in all a great year for Ghost Box and for those who collect its releases. My only gripe - you don't get MP3s with the vinyl purchases, something I think all labels should do these days.
