Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, light, optimistic - a absolute must buy!, September 8, 2005
Not being particularly open-minded to independent music, I was fully prepared (and indeed, determined) NOT to enjoy Ghosty, but one of my friends whose brother knows the band insisted I give them a listen, about a year ago. Even on those poorly-encoded MP3s, stolen from some server in the annals of Lawrence, Kansas, I was still able to distill the necessary essence of Ghosty - blissful pop perfection, song after song, from "Henry Greene" to "Hey! Somebody." (There are also a number of other great Ghosty numbers not included on this so-called "debut" album, and they carry the similar trademark charm.)
"Big Surrender" is perhaps the SINGLE-MOST listenable pop song I have ever heard. I once ran through a marathon of no less than fifty listens, without even the slightest bit of fatigue. There are simply no weaknesses - no instrument astray, no words or chords misplaced, nothing questionable happening in the mix or in the harmonies. Analysis of the song would undoubtedly show that beauty and simplicity can quite easily go hand in hand. The guitar solo is tight, simple and lyrical, yet supplemental in the best sense - it is not so virtuosic that it distracts from the backdrop. The lyrics themselves are catchy and poetic, with an subtly upbeat message - our gentle new anthem for the optimism of youth. The drumming fits perfectly within the narrow framework of the song. If every band has only one moment divinely inspired, most certainly, this is theirs.
The rest of the album is strong, and uniformly so. The vocalist has a quirky and unusual tenor voice, but it, as a microcosm of the band, soft and mellow, and quickly fell into my favor. It's good, solid stuff, and although it strays from my ordinary tastes, I find this band to be a veritable diamond in the rough.
Most indie bands (if one could continue to call them that) sound like white noise and unfiltered cigarettes, but the stylings of Ghosty are as good as gold. I don't often (read: never) bestow superlatives upon music, but this is the best album to have been released in the past five years. I've only one prophecy - their inevitable rise to fame. Writing and chemistry like this don't just fade away.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Could be the next big rock band, August 30, 2005
I just got this CD, and I have no idea where these guys came from. Well, Lawrence, KS. But, an album with this many catchy hooks, great production, and just plain good songwriting is destined to go places. It's great pop, but its more than pop -- the melodies are addictive, but complex. I lisetend to it several times in a row when I first got it. Strongly reccomend for any fan of independent rock music.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
polished and sublime, October 6, 2005
i'm an fairly avid searcher for new music (i'm in a 12 step program), and so i've got to say that after seeing this band live in austin opening for the fruit bats (without about 17 other people) - i'm amazed that a band this complex, polished and lovely has escaped virtually all notice by so many people thus far.
the album is a great introduction. see these guys live.
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by Ghosty 
