Hungry Ghosts could broadly be termed a concept album in that takes as its theme the consumer junkies who are never satisfied with what they have. The title track has lyrics about how "empty blind desires fill up your lives".
At the same time, the range of genre styles covered in the 13 tracks means there is no consistent musical style to give any sense of wholeness or unity.
For the most part Lee Negin appears to be primarily concerned to show off the range of his influences with very uneven results.
Negin originates from San Francisco but is a seasoned globetrotter who has lived away from the States for around 21 years and travelled to over 40 countries. He currently lives in South Korea where he is a university professor.
His music is an extension of his restless nature hopping from one genre to another, often changing direction mid-song. Negin pompously calls himself a "sound sculptor" and is at great pains to display his musical souvenirs from around the globe. He declares it to be "new world music" and this entails a heady mix that includes techno, ambient, rock, noise and funk.
The CD sleeve to Hungry Ghosts has his photograph interpreted by many different visual artists (who he had never met). He says that these images may make him "appear egomaniacal beyond belief" which, frankly, they do and you only need to check out the You Tube interview (Buzznews TV) to confirm that he is a guy with the ego the size of Texas.
One humbling drawback for this dedicated journeyman is his lousy singing voice which resembles a disgruntled growl and lacks any tuneful qualities. Fortunately, he doesn't 'sing' on all the tracks and he has guest female vocalist Sulene Fleming to bail him out on three of the tunes.
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A pseudo mystical Eastern mood prevails on many tracks such as the instrumentals Siddhartha's Smile and Not Knowing Mind.
In marked contrast to this vaguely spiritual leaning is the "robotic electronica" of One & Only True Manhood featuring a mad rap/rant in the form of a verbal spam offering to "free the love beast inside you".
Masks too is also far from calming as it jumps from orchestral rock to rampant noise via something approaching industrial metal.
Tracks like The Saga of Cheeze and Cheeze Takes On The N.A.N.ites are as eccentric as the titles suggest with the latter containing further random thoughts about sexploits and spams.
This album is the first of a pair, with a sequel (We Wei) due later in 2011. Since Negrin describes it as being an experimental ambient work, it will, hopefully, have a less manic quality.
Hungry Ghosts shows Negrin's versatility but is much too unpredictable for its own good. It left me feeling more bewildered than bewitched.
Lee Negin's Website
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