Ghosts and Spirits is a concept album by Phil Woodward based on C.S. Lewis’s classic text, The Great Divorce. Woodward began writing songs for the album in 2004. He and his band began recording the songs the following year. It was released in August 2007.
Woodward’s lyrics for Ghosts and Spirits predominantly consist of first-person ruminations, from the perspective of the various characters the narrator encounters in the story. It has been pointed out that Lewis, eager to depict the deep immaturity of his characters, tends to portray them as somewhat ridiculous; Woodward is able to humanize them, despite their perversity. His lyrical style, reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens, is philosophical yet playful, tender but often dark.
Musically, the album ranges widely, from the austere intimacy of “(Only) A Mother”, to the epic prog-rock-esque development of “The Lizard and the Stallion”, to the bitterly playful folk/pop of “Safety”. The sophisticated lead guitar stylings of Myron Marston—a long-time musical collaborator of Woodward’s—color the album throughout.
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