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Media Ghost is a quirky, clunky, yet winning collection of off-kilter pop songs from Portsmouth-based Andrew Foster. Opaque lyrics overlay memorable melodies, with the whole submerged in some ver unusual and memorable production. Nothing here sounds like a slick, run-of-the-mill pop record; the guitar on the opening track sounds like a banjo (maybe it is!), and the stomping, crashing drum kit on "Ten Green Bottles" sounds like it was recorded in a toilet, and yet works wonderfully. A lot of risks have been taken in the recording of this album, and they pay off. Its great and your'll be hearing new things every time you listen.
Sam Wise (ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE)



Having already reviewed the two EPs that led to this album, it feels only right to complete the set. Andrew Foster is a heart-on-the-sleeve, straight up minstrel, sometime solo strumming serenader, othertime vocal figurehead and a songwriter with considerable pathos at his command.
Media Ghost's main strength is that, unlike many self produced debuts, it feels like an album rather than a collection of 'material so far'. There's genuine highs and lows, a mix of styles that stays the right of eclectic and, despite there being definite highlights, nothing that could be called filler. At times there's even an intimacy that can't be faked, always the most difficult thing for a solo artist to achieve.
It's tempting to offer the criticism that the album descends on occasion into a kind of over-emotional melodrama. But then, that would be denying the possibility of maybe just a hint of a promise of a tear in a certain cynical critic's eye…




It’s fair to say that there aren’t a huge amount of well known musicians to have come out of Portsmouth. Yeah we had Joe Jackson and Paul Jones (Mannfred Mann vocalist) and more recently Cranes and Strange Death of Liberal England. But for a city of it’s size Portsmouth has never really made it’s mark on the UK music scene. Strangely though it has a thriving music scene of it’s own, with numerous gigs in the city and some great bands and artists just waiting for their chance to impress on a bigger stage. One of the hardest working and most impressive of all is this young man. Andrew Foster, releasing his debut full album, must be one of the hardest working young musicians I’ve ever met, the amount of gigs he plays up and down the country and the effort he puts into promoting and helping both his own endeavours and those of countless other artists in the Portsmouth area, really shows a commitment to music for the sheer love of performing. He’s a damn good performer too, both live and, as here, on record. From the haunting refrain of opening track ‘Personal Legend‘, Foster’s eclectic mix of influences and sounds alongside the warmth of his vocal is immediately engaging. Highlights here include the impressive ‘Watching Clocks’, ‘The Golden Hour’ a lovely reflection on that magical time of day as the sun begins to set and the world is bathed in a gorgeous glow and the haunting ‘déjà vu’. Go check Andrew out, he deserves the attention and you won’t be disappointed.




"Great tunes, thoughtful lyrics, engaging stage presence, a loyal & growing fanbase, commerical awareness and completely reliable - a promoter's dream artist!" Iain @ Stiff Promotions August 2007

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