Ghost Heart - the Tunnel - CD (2011)

Labels: Friction Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm

Man, hippies in indie rock. Its something I could do without. This album is all drum circles and guys chanting, electronic drones and indie kids giving it the hippy angle. And I am pretty much saying that they should go listen to that Moss Icon side project band who did songs about elephants and what not whilst stoned out of their mother fucking minds on some insane substance that I never want to be within a hazmat suit of. I went and had a look on the band’s website and there are no pictures of Ghost Heart with mushrooms or enlarged home made cigarettes, just well groomed indie boys that you’d be happy to take home to your mother, sitting there, making music. It’s cute.

Mostly the music on here is straight forward and repetitious. Whilst those are elements of music that I can appreciate, Ghost Heart are just too tame for their genre. It needs more experimentation, and much more wildness to be interesting. As it stands its fairly run of the mill, non-threatening rock music which so wants to break out into something a bit more outlandish, yet can’t quite bring itself. I did appreciate the music and I particularly thought that the vocal work was strong, bringing to mind Jeremy Enigk on “How It Feels…” here and there. I think that within their field, they have come up with a solid album, but it’s a crowded arena, and they don’t really do anything to help them stand out. Hopefully maturing as a band will bring a little more playfulness to the table. And drugs. Definitely more drugs.