Customer Reviews

Ghost Notes

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great new band. Everest breaks the mould of the top 40 jungle and offers a refreshing jump back to great musical times. Full of talent and a spectacular live band.

In addition to catchy tunes that carry you along a musical journey from beginning to end, the recorded sound quality is amazing. Think warm vintage sounding Skynnard or CCR with a modern high resolution touch.

If you are a vinylphile then definitely get the vinyl (yes vinyl!) in addition to the CD.

This is a warm, honest and wonderful album. Everest gives the listener everything they could want in one sitting. There are grooves that won't let you go (Into your soft heart, I see it in your eyes), soulful melodies (rebels in the roses, angry storm) and songs that show what rock music should be (reloader, stumble waltz). If you like Neil Young, Ryan Adams and any of the alt-country stuff out there you will love Everest!

What a terrific album. One you'll need to search for but the search will be worth it because this band is as good as it gets in the sort of rustic indie rock, guitar driven band, that is simply the sound of California. Made up of members and session muso's who have been around a bit but finally found their home in Everest.

The most attractive aspect is the shear immediacy and up front intimacy of the songs. The first four tracks come on like an old friend. The pop/rock jangle and soaring harmonies of "Rebels in the roses" is a bit Golden Smog-like. "Bees" is fun, "Into your soft heart" lovely!! Is it about Chandra Watson, from the Watson Twins? Robert Pollard the band leaders wife?

Then the Lo-Fi strum of "Only in Your mind" A lovely song with great guitar work very, Sun Kil Moon. Next up is more slow burn 60's pop, Black Covers more UK than US. A lot going on in this one with almost psychedelic aspects to the arrangement and some fuzzy guitar work, bnuilding to a Pink floyd-like peak, summit probably more apt.

(Realisation, thats why they're called Everest)

"Angry storm" is next with its Louris/Olson likeness (Ready for the Flood)pretty and pure, but biting lyrics. "There's no life in killing time" augmented with great Country guitars, Pedal Steel.

Anyway its a bit like I'm telling you the end of the movie. Take my word for it this is one of the best albums I've come across in recent years, thanks to the bloke in the Music Oasis in small town New Zealand who is importing it direct and recommended it to me.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

Ghost Notes is the kind of record that most bands long ago forsook in favor of a quick, platinum single and a whole lot of filler. Musically and lyrically talented, with a meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship, Everest's debut is one that requires multiple listens to uncover each subtle layer. The fact that they have been signed by Neil Young's Vapor Records should tell you a whole lot about the band's style; they are interested in telling a story, not to mention making some of the best country-tinged rock `n roll this side of My Morning Jacket.

Easily the most musically affecting song, "Rebels In The Roses" opens the album with a gentle acoustic strum accompanied by a forlorn electric guitar lick before singer Russell Pollard's roughened voice pleads "if you find me / I'll be yours in a heartbeat." The song rumbles along on a slow-burning guitar melody that supports Pollard's versatile voice instead of overwhelming it. A mix of modern and past, the song evokes a sense of nostalgia and sounds like a classic rock masterpiece while at the same time feeling like a breath of fresh air. And the guitar solo is epic, crunching, and perfectly placed.

The starting four songs is one of the best opening sequences of any record I've heard in recent memory, with "Rebels in the Roses" leading into the galloping "Trees" and following with the catchy, Elliott-Smith-via-Nashville "Into Your Soft Heart." And the clear single material "Reloader" that ends the streak is the most accessible tune, a fast-paced distorted guitar anthem that will leave its chorus stuck in your head for days.

"Only In Your Mind" slows back the tempo a bit, but its stately beat and tasteful guitar keep the song from dragging. Everest's influences are obvious, but their distinctions are what make Ghost Notes a strong, viable album in its own right. The guitars recall the American countryside and the epic rock tradition associated with southern rock without degenerating into the mindless solos and jams associated with that genre, while Pollard's lyrics reflect the music appropriately without becoming too obtuse or archaic like similar bands (*Midlake cough*). And his singing is the kind that doesn't oppress or disappear under waves of sound, instead directing the ebb and flow of each song with sureness.

Much like the individual songs, Ghost Notes rolls along like an album should, through dips and crests that prevent the album from running together and giving each part a distinct identity. While slightly top-heavy, the record's second half can still stand on its own, particularly the lilting piano ballad "Angry Storm" and their one indulgent seven-minute piece, "I See It In Your Eyes," a song that could teach My Morning Jacket a thing or two about development and restraint.

A spectacular debut album, to say the least, Ghost Notes is a record that immediately positions itself in the forefront of the Americana-rock tradition that has become a major part of the indie-rock scene over the years. Innovative, expertly crafted and produced, and mindful of its influences without becoming a clone, Everest's style should take them a long way if they get the attention they deserve.

Why aren't these guys famous? I saw them perform before a small audience in Minneapolis. To their credit, they put on a fine show and seemed genuinely appreciative that anyone had come to see them at all. But really, this is one of the better debut albums I've heard. They play straightforward dreamy folk-rock, that still manages to be interesting lyrically and musically. It's unpretentious and beautiful. (Check out Angry Storm or Stumble Waltz.) They're not breaking new ground (how many are?), but if there's a better album of this genre that's come out in the last 5 (or maybe even 10) years, I can't think of it.

I got turned on to the band because my cousin is actually Russell Pollard the lead vocals/guitar player of the band. He's been playing music here and there for years, this cd was really a big break for him and its awesome. A beautiful blend of music.

Um ... I would say just buy it ... like now. Gorgeous meld of indie and classic rock sound. Echoes of My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, etc. only with more hooks.

This is the first time I have ever felt the urge to write a review for anything on Amazon before. I waited a few weeks after getting it before writing to make sure that the sometime initial glimmer of an album didn't wear off. After coming back to it, I can honestly say that I enjoy it more with every listen. It flows effortlessly into your ears and stimulates the mind and soul.
Get it on vinyl, if you've got a turntable, as it comes as well-made double 180-gram lp set.

I waited a few months to write out this review on Amazon, because you know how sometimes you get a record and right away you're like, wow, this is amazing, but then you burn out on it?
This record is the opposite, I mean, I did get it and say, wow, this is amazing, but then the longer you have it, absorb it, and let it seep into your senses, the more overwhelming it becomes. This album is fantastically written, perfomed and recorded. It's now November of 2008 and I got a pre-release of it, I want to say, maybe in March.... and it's stuck in my player. I've tried to take it out. I've put on some Neil Young, some Kinks, some Faces, and I put Everest back in.
This is an album I expect to grow old with, and if I someday have grandkids, tell them, I remember when this one came out.
I've described it to friends by saying, imagine if Neil Young, George Harrison, and Elliott Smith sat around listening to Willie Nelson and then wrote a record.

Truly something special.