GHOST

It's quite amazing I am making first review of this very interesting bands first album (there are only 10 ratings about this)! Well, it just shows, how much there are interesting bands in the world that have threat to disappear in the minds of the people. It seems in 2007 some PA members 'found' the band and after that every now and then somebody has made one or two reviews a year. This Ghost (it wasn't the first and really not the last) started already in 1984, but released this album not until 1990. Have to say I am a big fan of sixties psych, but never been so much into new psych (well I guess I haven't really heard many clearly new psych bands, I think there is always that space element that I haven't found very interesting in most cases). Anyway this band has very little 'space' in it's music and comes more into sixties psych (they even had spent collective life as their predecessors did). On the other hand I would not call this band just retro, they have really a fresh style although it differs a lot of the common style of nineties.

This album starts really great way! First the listener is scared with loud noises, but soon 'Sun Is Tagging' changes into very acoustic and creates very warm and mysterious atmosphere. You just go direct into soft psychedelia of sixties! 'Guru In the Echo' goes into little electric direction with really great, psychedelic electric guitar. This very catchy piece reminds a little Can's 'Soundtracks'-album. In 'Moungod Te Deum' direction goes really experimental. It has birds voices and some very strong mantra into it. Really love that piece also! But after these three great pieces direction starts to go a little bit mediocre. All the rest of the pieces are mostly quite calm. 'I've Been Flying' is fully acoustic and very beautiful. 'Ballad Of Summer Rounder' continues same way, but in the middle there comes drums. In the end there are little bit chaotic piece, which of course make this over ten minutes piece more interesting, but it lasts too long when nothing really happening there. The second part of 'Moungod' serie is really meditative with wind sounds and totally acoustic instruments. Last part of 'Moungod' is quite experimental and has again mantra-style vocals. Last 'Rakshu' is very sedative piece, maybe little bit too long.

This debut album is really promising, but not showing the full potential of this interesting band. Really I am not wondering at all that Drag City decided to take this band into their label in 1996 and released their greatest album 'Lama Rabi Rabi'. Although band has released their latest studio album in 2007, it was 2014 when band told to be disbanded. So sad, there are not really too much this kind of bands today. I would have given the album four stars if the greatness of first three songs had continued (maybe even five), but now this is three stars album.