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PAINTING PETALS ON PLANET GHOST - 'Fallen Camellias' CD (A Silent Place)

*** by George Parsons, editor, DREAM MAGAZINE (USA)

"Painting Petals on the Planet Ghost Fallen Camellias (A Silent Place) This is the mind-blowingly beautiful second album by Italy’s Painting Petals on the Planet Ghost. Five tracks of breathtakingly beguiling organic/synthetic supernatural bliss as vocalist Ramona Ponzini sings and plays Japanese bells and wind chimes (she also sings three in Japanese) backed by the My Cat Is An Alien brothers Roberto and Maurizio Opalio supplying acoustic and electric guitars, mini-keyboard, field recordings, glockenspiel, antique accordion, mouth harmonica, and wordless vocals. This is obviously a very special project for everyone involved and represents some of the finest MCIAA-related recordings ever created. Truly magical deeply mysterious transporting psychic soundtracks to a series of sonic dreams, expertly crafted to magnify and elevate the listening pleasure of even the most ardent psychedelic listener. A tribute to romantic Japanese poet Yosano Akiko, and essential listening for all of us.
Just amazing."

*** by Roger Batty, MUSIQUE MACHINE (UK)

"Painting Petals on the planet ghost is the third release by this off shoot of My Cat is An Alien featuring Maurizio & Roberto Opalio and Ramona Ponzini who last joined them for the Black magic Disco project. But unlike the dense often hectic sonic waters of Black magic Disco this is deeply tranquil, beautiful and hypnotic.
Based mainly around harmonic electric and acoustic guitar lush strums/picks and Ramona Ponzini haunting Japanese female vocals with lesser sonic contributions from wind chimes, spacey snthy textures, glockenspiel, etc. This really is a lot less spacey, improvised and textured based than My Cat is An Alien works, the tracks unfolding with rich and beautiful played melodies mainly coming from the guitar that’s played in the most traditional and conventional manner I’ve ever heard the brothers play.
Each track drifts ghost like and tranquil into the next giving this wonderfully soothing yet slightly haunted vibe for the whole of the albums just over half an hour running time. It feels like it could be some product of a 70’s Japanese hippy communion, the air heavy with incense and hash, all the players eyes half closed on the edge of trance. It’s an album the will loosen and relax your body and mind with just the slightest tinge of melancholy hoovering through it. Really beautiful and lush playing from all the three involved but the passionate, emotional and straight guitar playing from Maurizio Opalio is the highlight here.
A dreamy, lush and hypnotic album that will appeal beyond the My Cat is An Alien fan base. I doubt you’ll hear a more beautiful, tranquil and enchanted record this year- really you’ve just cant help but fall in it’s sonic warmth and lushness and drift off."