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Ghosty
Grow Up or Sleep In
Broken Horse Records
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Article
written by Ged M
Jun 20, 2006.
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It’s interesting how much distinctive music, the sort that starts rather than follows trends, is from heartland America. Bright Eyes (Nebraska), Flaming Lips (Oklahoma), Midlake (Denton Texas), they’re all remote enough to create their own sound and scene. Ghosty are from Lawrence, Kansas, about as central and ‘heartland’ as you can get. Their sound isn’t yet as different as the above-mentioned bands but has its moments: Ghosty take elements of the Shins and Pavement, mix in touches of jazz, prog and folk and add a costing of honey-coated melodies to great effect. The album was recorded by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) and includes a contribution from Wayne Coyne, made in exchange for Ghosty releasing a day of their Oklahoma City studio booking so that Coyne could finish some Lips’ recordings. It’s a more interesting talking point than musical contribution; his “vocal jabs” on the uncredited final track, a reprise of ‘Clouds Solve It’, are fairly unimpressive. In fact the original version (also here) surpasses it as must-hear lovely straightforward pop. That track and ‘(In A Big World) Little Dreams Count’ are down-the-middle pop music; ‘Jacqueline’ is minimalist and introspective until the rousing finish, ‘Rooms in the Dark’ might be an example of that underrated genre Radiohead-Folk, but the bulk of the record is melodic alt-rock. ‘World Travellers’ has Pavement’s melodic and lyrical hooks, ‘Henry Greene’ is very Shins-influenced and has more hooks than a holly bush while the first single from the record, ‘Big Surrender’, swings with melodies and is blessed with Andrew Conner’s thoughtful lyrics about growing up: “adulthood’s a big surrender and it’s rolling in slow but sure”. A certain dullness settles on the record halfway through, which makes it less of the discovery that the opening tracks suggest it might be, but selective programming of the highlights gives you an promising pop debut with a neat take on the young American experience.
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