Album Review

The Ghosts – The End

• 12th Apr 2012

The Ghosts were formed in December 2010 by singer songwriter Alex Starling (formerly of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool) and drummer Ian Palmer. Other members recruited since then are classically trained Rayna Ferner (keyboards) who also adds strings, Dan Whiffin (guitar) and Alex Sharman (keyboards).

The End is the band’s debut album, recorded in just two weeks with producer Tim Bran (La Roux, The Charlatans, Paul McCartney). If you like the sound of a modern take on 1980s style synth pop then this is the album for you. But there are a few surprises in here too and they add a lot to the album.

The excellent single Ghost opens the album. Its mix of powerful synthesiser rhythms and Starling’s haunting vocals results in a pleasing track that manages to be both dark and ultimately upbeat at the same time.

Enough Time follows, with high pitched vocals over a heavy synth melody. In An Emergency is nice pop song with a catchy chorus and Underrated is another decent song with deeper sounding vocals that show Starling’s excellent range.

But just when you think that the album might be in danger of becoming rather samey, along comes Company Like Yours. This slower track is a welcome change of pace, a love song that sees the vocals take centre stage over a much more minimal electronic backdrop.

Forgetting What We Know and Everything Will Do are both driven along apace by those synths and a solid drum beat, the percussion more evident here than elsewhere on the album. But it’s basically back to the same heavy synth sounds that dominate too many of the album’s songs.

Scared is another slower track with acoustic guitars and strings backing Starling’s vocals. A fairly simple song, this one stands out for the lovely clean vocals and the understated passion it portrays.

Eyes On Another One is another of the synth tracks. There’s nothing wrong with it but it doesn’t really stand out from the others. They’ve Started Guarding Us, however has an atmospheric quality that raises it above that level. The vocals here soar over piano and drums very nicely.

The closer Unless starts softly with a simple electronic melody picked out before the acoustic guitar and vocals come in for a tender love song. Starling’s voice sweeps upwards backed by strings before coming down again perfectly. Lyrically it is a little repetitive but it ends the album in good style.

Overall this album is heartfelt and brooding with intense lyrics and sweeping electronic sounds dominating in most tracks. But it is the variety that makes it and perhaps paradoxically the less representative tracks that stand out most. Is The End necessarily the ideal title for a debut album? Probably not. But I have a feeling that The Ghosts won’t come to regret the choice.