You’ll listen the first track Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts of the Great Highway. When the second track begins, you’ll check to make sure the first isn’t on repeat. Sadly, this will continue for the duration of the album as you wait for a little variety. It won’t come.
The excitement missing from the whole is also absent from the individual tracks themselves. Each one fits the same, boring formula: a softly strummed melody and a drum line loop steadily, another guitar drones and Mark Kozeiek’s voice accompanies in a flat, nasally whine best described as Neil Young with a sinus infection.
The ghosts being paid tribute are boxers, guitarists, and lost loves. The subjects are exploited to bring about feelings of warmth and empathy that Kozeiek could not bring about musically or lyrically. The opening track, “Glenn Tipton” gives a nod to all three subjects. It is a story about things changing and being more the same. The eternal dispute about the best boxers and guitarist of all time. The small disruption a death brings that eventually subsides. A love that ends, but is revisited in silent suffering forever. Through it all, the listener suffers through Kozeiek’s off pitch notes that are anything, but charming.
In second track, “Carry me Ohio” speaks on finding peace in the beauty of the lackluster state against the backdrop of trance evoking melodies, which makes the listener wonder if the whole album is one, big practical joke! Ohio? Really?
The album does redeem itself for seven minutes during the last half of the 7th song song, Duk Koo Kim. Yes, it is 14 minutes long, so use the first half to take a power nap, if you weren’t already. The last half of the song is heavily layered with strange vocals and chimes. It’s worth waking up for.
But if you are interested in hearing this insincere snore, buy “Glenn Tipton.” Play it on loop 10 times. That’s all you are going to get from Ghosts of the Great Highway.
loved some of the words you used to describe the sounds of the album. "neil young with a sinus infection" ha! i'm going to listen to this just to hear that.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about each track on the album starts out and that it is similar to the first track
ReplyDeleteThe reptitve description of saying it was repetitive may just have a positive use in your review rather than the normal negative use of repetition. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI liked your creative descriptions, really made it interesting to read. Don't think I'll be listening to this album.
ReplyDeleteI like how you led into the review, describing how we'd check to see if the track was on repeat.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant opening paragraph. Instead of starting off with a bunch of background or kitschy intellectual descriptions, you immediately put the reader in the perspective of them actually sitting down and hearing the album, and you use this connection to help us understand why it's bad.
ReplyDeleteReally liked your album review. "Mark Kozeiek’s voice accompanies in a flat, nasally whine best described as Neil Young with a sinus infection."-favorite description of the vocalist.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the last paragraph very funny. Solid review.
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