Gross Ghost
Brer Rabbit
Grip Tapes
2012
Rating: 7 reprocessed actions out of 10
After having seen Gross Ghost play live so many times and only now listening to their new record "Brer Rabbit," I'm trying to reconcile the two different faces of the band. Live, while I wouldn't call them a snarling beast, they do have some growl and snap to them. They have an almost pop-punk sound ala local heroes Superchunk, playing songs you wouldn't be surprised to hear in a skate video. But this recording is an entirely different beast - still enjoyable, just in a different way. It's much more of a jangly indie-pop affair, many of the songs downright mellow, subdued, or dare I say it dreamy. The only track that really seems to capture their live energy is the best song, "Devious," which has always been one of my favorites at their live shows.
With this first full-length now released, I can only imagine there will be folks going to see Gross Ghost live for the first time, wondering why all the songs from the album are so amped up. Hopefully they enjoy both sides of the band like I do, because they've put out one of my favorite local records of the year so far, and are always fun to see live.
No comments:
Post a Comment