Who would've thought I would keep coming back to this CD and listening to it, while others fall away into the pile of no return?  It is sad that the world hasn't heard it because I think it would touch everyone on some level.  The recording techniques give me nostalgia for my old days of cassette recording, and the song quality is superb.  Keep it up PRKR!  I hope to hear another album from you soon.  And more live shows!
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The review above does a pretty good job summing it up. I just wanted to add my endorsment and say this is well worth the price
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The story of Parker Hill (aka Prkr) is an interesting tale. Born while his father played an ambient Brian Eno record during his birth, Hill was exposed at the earliest of ages to great sounds. Maybe it is true that if you play Bach to a child in the mother’s womb the child will be destined to some sort of intellectual or artistic greatness. Or, if you play your child Eno the child will grow up to make amazing music. Hill is living proof of this theory, especially on his second album The Ghost Year, a magesterial work of sound bringing together field recordings, traditional organic instrumentation and electronic experimentation. Hill says of himself that aside from his early musical experiences that his “current outlook and vision” has been shaped equally by “the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, which has continued to seep into his music in both literal (field recording) and impressionistic (mood/tone) ways.” A true dedication to the current folk ethos, Prkr embraces his environment, influences and his personal imagination and life experiences to shape his music. Part ambient, part shoegaze and definitely folk-based, The Ghost Year is the culmination of two years of intense and heartfelt dedication to making great music. The title track is all one needs to hear to understand Prkr’s amazing output. A lush composition running over six minutes in length it begins with Prkr’s subtle vocals, guitar and electronic additions, stopping and pausing until field recordings of human voices and chirping birds play as the music fades out. Then, in comes Hill’s chanting voice as the song crescedos into waves of gorgeous and swirling sounds. The title track also has the perfect pop sensibilities despite the fact that it defies all pop standards and conventions. As with the majority of the record, Hill’s music is both experimental and challenging but also catchy. It never expands into self-indulgence but pushes the envelope in the most beautiful of ways. Interjected throughout the record are shorter songs, or interludes, of pure electronic experimentation, making The Ghost Year one of those rare records that has a novel (as in literary) feel to it. The Ghost Year is not a smattering of 12 disconnected songs, but a wonderful mix (achieved by bands as big as Radiohead) that creates a glorious whole and also parts that can be perfectly abstracted without losing any of its overall power or beauty. One of the best examples is the pop-strong Forest Smiles, the most catchy and simple of all the songs on the album yet one of the best. Hill has created one amazing body of work with The Ghost Year, a record that will unfortunately fly under the radar despite its greatness. Limited to only 100 copies with beautiful artwork one needs to catch this record fast but more importantly a bigger, daring and creative independent label better grab Prkr fast because he is indeed a rare talent whose music deserves much wider release, attention, study and development because there are definitely way more than 100 people who will find this record and Prkr’s brilliance something to sincerely cherish and, who knows, maybe even something to play for their children when they are being born into or brought up in the vapid American social, political and artistic landscape that breeds drones programmed to consume while neglecting to embrace the human experience of environment, community, sound, freedom and creativity.
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