The Ghosts - The End Album Review

Bourne out of personal tragedies and facilitated by a meeting organised by Jon Brookes of The Charlatans, The Ghosts are a quintet who bring out their debut album via Pocket Records. Press support for their two singles so far has been strong, so anticipation is strong for this release, due on April 15.

Mixing a melodic guitar with 80's style synths, 'Ghosts' is an opener full of intent - and that's even before the anthemic chorus kicks in. It introduces the impressive vocal range of Alex Starling, sounding like a choir boy Liam Gallagher, who later hits a range most men only achieve through eye-watering means. The radio-friendly soft rock of 'Enough Time' is reminiscent of the better side of Texas, whilst 'Underrated' is luscious pop with a retro twist. The acoustic turn of 'Company Like Yours' is unnecessary without being overly detrimental, and the flow is recovered on the Blondie-aping 'Forgetting What We Know'. It's after this that The Ghosts get busted (sorry) for ideas; a major shift in quality for the worst occurs. 'Scared' drearily passes, whilst the great melodies that permeated the first part of the record become conspicuously absent from efforts such as 'Eyes On Another One' and 'Unless'. Ultimately an EP may have been a better format to pursue at this time, but there is enough evidence here for The Ghosts to be worth investigating.

Alex Lai