Ghost Heart – “The Tunnel”

Album Reviews | Jun 11th, 2012

Record Label: Friction Records
Genre: Indie
Band Link: www.ghostheart.com
Buy on Amazon.com

Mild-mannered Ghost Heart take pieces from various indie darlings, like Fleet Foxes’ group vocal harmonies, the Sting-like front vocals made popular again by The Drums and Vampire Weekend, and Arcade Fire’s slow-and-steady thumping (except without the crescendo).

But Ghost Heart doesn’t sound derivative, in large part because of their consistently downbeat and shoegazy pace. They are hurt, though, by their disinterest in providing some sort of payoff for their patient listeners.

Even though I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for styles typically difficult for short attention spans – psych music, Krautrock, art rock, etc. – I had trouble staying focused on The Tunnel, warm and benevolent as it may be. A couple of songs, like “Salty Sea,” are essentially straight-up ambient and snoozalicious.

My favorite track is the epic-long “The Canticle,” for its hypnotically tribal percussion. But even with 8 minutes to play with, there isn’t much variety and I couldn’t get through a second listen. For a similarly softly tribal indie rock sound, I recommend the more upbeat band Way Yes.

Bottom Line: Mild shoegaze for
Notable Tracks: The Canticle
Overall Rating:

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