Taking his name from a line in a tune by Wilco, Cherry Ghost is the stage name for Simon Aldred, a British singer and songwriter who decided to strike out on his own as a solo act in 2005 after several years of playing in a succession of failing rock bands. Writing evocative songs that mingle joy and sorrow in the manner of his acknowledged influences Sparklehorse and Smog, Aldred began recording his songs at home using sampling technology to build expansive arrangements for the tunes, and demos of his material started making the rounds of British record companies. Aldred used...