German indie-rockers Dear Diary (everyone knows indie-rock is the new emo..) have released a nice little record in ‘How To Become A Ghost’. Out on Bastardized Recordings, it’s a very lo-fi product which references Sunny Day Real estate and Texas Is The Reason a hell of a lot, right from the song structures to the tone of the guitars and the odd time signatures and chord sequences. Not that it’s a bad thing mind, after all, those two bands are legendary for a reason – and while Dear Diary lose marks for ripping off their peers, their take at a similar style of music is warmly appreciated. Especially when it’s stuck in a pile of turgid, crappy CDs choc-full of screaming.
‘How To Become A Ghost’ has a lot of quaint charm. That’s possibly to do with the German-tinted vocals, sung in English throughout, which gives the album an odd and quirky feel. On ‘So Spare Me’ the band sound like old, old Get Up Kids, albeit with a German accent. This kind of follows all the way through – tracks like the instrumental ‘The Ghost Of Empty batteries’ and ‘Black Black’ sound really good, certainly different to what’s out there now, although there is more than a nod to what’s already been and gone. If you’re a fan of the band already, this will cement your opinion that they’re good at what they do. If you like the good old emo bands of yore, then this is worth checking out too. The rest of you will probably enjoy this too…
www.deardiary.de
Bastardized Recs
Paul