[by Jon Behm]

The duo that make up The Black Ghosts have an unusual pedigree – both Simon Lord and Theo Keating’s youths sound like they were found in an HP Lovecraft story. Keating grew up in a house with mysterious occult symbols on the walls and was within spitting distance of an ancient Victorian cemetery. Lord’s grandmother had a predilection for Russian Mysticism and was known to be a psychic. So, it isn’t a huge surprise that the duo’s first collaboration resulted in something just a little off the wall.

The group’s self titled album evinces the always unusual mix of poppy dance music with morose lyricism. Lord and Keating examine the more tenebrous side of human nature in sullen songs, all to the tune of drum machines and 80’s synth keyboards. The result makes you want to dance, but it may also make you want to strangle someone if lyrics like “If my hands were around your throat, would you tell me what I need to know” are any indicator.

The record’s first single “Repetition Kills You” features the vocals of special guest Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), as well as some skillfully crafted beats. Keating’s DJ experience as part of the electronic group Wiseguys is evident, as the production is fairly flawless. “Any Way you Choose to Give it,” is a dancepop track along the lines of what Cut Copy is producing these days, just a bit more depressing. “Don’t Cry” throws some strings into the mix over an eclectic drum beat, as well as some of the group’s darker lyricism. “It’s Your Touch” mixes up some disco and soul influences. “Full Moon” starts off as a haunting folk track, before evolving into a…well…haunting electronic track.

As far as dance-pop albums go, Black Ghosts are no Justice, yet. However, with a solidly respectable release under their belt they are nothing to be scoffed at either. Trying to mix dance with self-defeating sulkiness may not look like the greatest idea on paper, but as far as this release goes, it might not be the worst one either.

The Black Ghosts - Official Site
The Black Ghosts - Wikipedia Site
The Black Ghosts - MySpace Site

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Previously: The Black Ghosts “Repetition Kills You” Video

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.