03-1999 / The Scotsman / Phantom Engineer

Phantom Engineer [Paperhouse. CD only]
Phantom Engineer's self-titled debut beautifully captures some of the most 'out there' moments to have taken place in contemporary Scottish music. Featuring the somewhat unlikely trio of Falkirk jazz totem Bill Wells, National Park's John Hogarty and group leader David Keenan (ex-Telstar Ponies) in a series of of-the-moment improvisations inspired by scenes from David's life; the resulting music is both haunted and oddly enchanting. Titles are child-like lower-case and magical - 'arc of a jetplane', 'end of a holiday', 'welcome home david' - conveying an all too rare sense of intrepid adventurism that comes with this night-time record.
SP. for The Scotsman. March 1999