The Ghost

Item: This is a Hospital
Author: Clara Sayre

This is a Hospital

(2002)

Reviewed by Clara Sayre

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Label Some RecordsDecapolisMay 2002

post-hardcore punk

I've never heard of The Ghost before. That might be because they've only been around since March of 2001, but according to their website (http://www.theghostband.com/) and promo info, it might be my fault that I haven't heard of them. They debuted on the CMJ Top 200 Add Board at #9 with their newest release "This is a Hospital", their producer Steve Albini has also worked with Nirvana and The Pixies, and they've played shows with the likes of Rival Schools, Sensefield, Thursday and The Lawrence Arms.

With all that said, I was fairly impressed with them before I heard their music. Their style is a combination of singing/screaming and unlike other bands that have attempted this before, they blend both types of vocals easily. Now anyone reading my brief bio above can tell that this is not normally the kind of music I listen to. So what can I say? It's a challenge...

The band is Brian Moss (vocals, guitar); Jordan Shalich (bass, vocals); Randall Bleichner (drums, vocals) and new guitarist Charlie Lorance. They are newly based out of Chicago, IL and are on the label Some Records.

"This is a Hospital" is an upbeat, full-sounding CD - even when their lyrics turn melancholy. I have to say; my favorite song on the CD is number nine, entitled "The Exhibition"...Why? It's the token slow, melodic song of the CD and they do it very well. This song would've been my choice to end the CD, but then again, I'm not in the band. The Ghost has a full range of music on here, not choosing to simply release hardcore song after hardcore song. Their talent is reflected in this variety...the CD never gives you the glazed over look you get when an album becomes monotonous. And for only being together for over a year, they already have an established, polished sound that can only get better as they discover their own sound over the years.

Now just for one negative...The lyrics didn't do much for me. It seemed the ones that stood out were the ones that didn't say much such as: "Every night is Halloween/Your costume is wearing you out/So naked, so exposed/That's the way I wanted this" (in "Death By the Bay") and "I left my mark with dry erase/So f****** drunk at 3 am/I've been moving, moving/Now I'm anchored, anchored/I'm Drowning in options" (in "Groundswell") I hate to pick on lyrics, because I'm sure these lyrics mean a lot to the guy(s?) who wrote them, so I'm saying for me personally, I didn't hear anything that stuck with me.

It's still not one of my favorite CD's, but I am glad I had a chance to hear them. I would recommend them to people who like post-hardcore, borderline punk music. They have been compared in a few reviews to Jimmy Eat World and Dismemberment Plan, but they deny either comparison and I would have to agree. You just have to hear them for yourself.