Mentioning no names, there seems to be a long line of mundane and uninspiring punk bands around today. And I use the term ‘punk’ loosely. That’s why it is oh so refreshing to find a new band that not only keep you hooked after the first listen, but also restore some faith back in genre filled with so much tat of late. Made up of ex ‘Trust Foundation’ and ‘Wonder Year’ members they take a heavy dose of influence from the likes of Jawbreaker. You won’t be surprised to find out they are similar to ‘The Lawrence Arms‘ either.
The Ghost burst onto the scene in April 2001. This, their first full length album, is bursting with stop start crashing songs with angst felt lyrics from front man Brian Moss. ‘Death by the Bay’ is a highlight of the album and kicks it off in stylish fashion and sets the trend for things to come. ‘On and On’ follows up with an infectious opening riff with Moss showing us the more softer side to his voice. But then he quickly follows it up showing us all his anger so I guess it evens out.
‘Gem Mint ten’ is one of the poppier efforts on the album, that’s not to say it distracts from the song though. Even after three tracks you get a general idea of what ‘The Ghost‘ are all about. Crashing riffs and a lot of feeling, although at times you do get the impression that Moss tries to hard to put across the emotion he is showing. The middle of the album falls a little flat, set by earlier standards with only the somber ‘my first and last’ really making you take notice.
‘Diffuser’ and ‘By the books’ are simple yet affectively passionate songs. By the time ‘a new trick for the old dog’ comes along you can’t help but feel you have heard it all before with the previous seven songs. And although they have the right formula, they just seem to overuse it a bit too much. Penultimate track ‘exhibition’ is defiantly a stand out track. The screaming voice is gone for a much more mellow hook and tone for a emo tinged flavour. ‘Red slippers, red wheels’ rounds off the album with an infectious riff, which completes a surprisingly interesting album.
The Ghost have come from relative obscurity with a more than acceptable record, which really does put a lot of the far more experienced bands around them to shame. You may wonder who they are now, but soon you should be hearing a lot more of them…
Jay