Masaki Batoh Of Ghost Debuts New Group The Silence

• Minoru Tsuyuki
• The Silence

In August 2014, Ghost front man Masaki Batoh declared the band defunct after a 30-year run. He also announced his next group, the Silence, which debuted live in Tokyo in late November—and which releases its first album, also called The Silence, next week on Drag City.

On today’s 12 O’Clock Track, “Lemon Iro No Cannabis,” the ceremonial aspects of Ghost aren’t in evidence; unsurprisingly, neither are the outer-space streakings contributed by Kurihara. The song is a grandly ornate and pastorally serene fusion of classic rock and psychedelia, with a melodic organ-painted intro (it might remind you of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”) and a pretty great flute solo.