Amazing Ghost - Blasts Off (amazingghost.bandcamp.com)
Introduction
This has not been a bad couple of months for Amazing Ghost. They put out a 45 at the tail-end of last year through Electric Cowbell Records. They released a pretty sweet music video with freefalling musicians, wizards, monsters and dancers. What you may have not realized, though, is that they spent a lot more time at Minimum Wage Studios. Until now, those recordings had not seen the light of day.
Blessup
Their new extended player, Amazing Ghost Blasts Off, begins with a few bass punches accompanied by a raucous set of horns. Edward Prendergast’s voice takes center stage in the first minute, until the momentum of the song really drives it home. The tempo has been slowed down ever so slightly, but it does the song more justice. It allows Prendergast’s voice to slither along with the bassline of the tune and give his presence a charismatic air. The dynamic of the chorus is intensified as well. It’s heightened by allowing the subdued nature of what came first to unleash itself into a fervent spectacle of energy that sets a precedent for the whole release. The patience required by this song pays off, with incredibly fruitful rewards for the band and the audience in the long run.
Sam Samina
This has been a fan favorite for quite a while, and this song is done impeccable justice on this recording. The introduction gives you the instant impression that, to put it as lightly as I possibly can, shit is about go down. Where the demo version may have faltered in it’s low fidelity tendencies, “Sam Samina” now flourishes with a gamut of sounds and noise that come together to bring the song to epic levels. If Amazing Ghost were ever to be accused of taking cues from old school hip hop, this would be the best example. Pure and simple, this is a party tune, and it recreates that tradition effectively, with a progressive take on the genre’s past.
Nite Rite/Night and Day
Before listening to this EP, this was the only tune that concerned me. The initial demos of the tune were limited to a single refrain uttered by Prendergast over and over and over again. It wasn’t necessarily ad nauseam, but I didn’t know how far the song could go. Thankfully, the band incorporated more typical structural elements as well as textures to really flesh this song out. The refrain was always catchy, but you have to have a little more meat on the bones to make everything work. The use of simultaneous digital and organic drums felt like the right direction to go for the song. It’s a tune to get ready for the night ahead of you, and it sets up a vibe that many Amazing Ghost fans can relate to. It’s the anxiety before the night of the party and the anticipatory hangover.
New York City
Along with “Blessup,” this is one of the older contributions to Blasts Off. The reworked groove of “New York City” makes it a grand anthem of heartache in the big city. While Prendergast spits lines that indicate his swagger, there is still the lamentation of losing one’s girl in the big city. It’s not an easy or a reliable task to try and decipher Amazing Ghost lyrics, and I couldn’t even really say that it’s worth anyone’s time. However, in this case, I’ll give it a shot. I think this song represents angst in someone who has come from a tinier place in comparison to such a big place as New York City. In this encounter, anyone can feel overwhelmed. I don’t deny that the "losing one’s girl in the big city" aspect is to be taken very literally. I think it’s an idea of attempting to compare oneself to so many elements that are larger than life. It all boils down to the question: how long do we want to remain big fish in small ponds? When do we venture to the larger ponds and try to become big fish there? I also want to acknowledge that the song features accompanying female vocals by Marley Anderson, which fit with the tone of this new rendition of a classic song.
King Den’s Long Desert Dream Song
If there were one reason to pay attention to this extended player, it’s this song. This is, hands down, the best song Amazing Ghost has written to date. The idea of patience that I touched on earlier has a lot to do with “King Den’s Long Desert Dream Song.” You have to wait to see how epic this song gets. When it arrives, all I can say is, “Oh man.” There are hums of keyboards, a driving bass line, sweet guitar licks and intricate drumming. All of these together just drive you insane. You want to know where any of this is headed. Prendergast’s voice doesn’t grace the song until three minutes in. This late arrival is indicative of Amazing Ghost’s style. Who wants to show up to the party early? When you have created a party jam as innovative and enthusiastic as this one, you really can't go wrong. This song may just be about a drug trip in the middle of the desert, and the cadence of one’s thoughts in this environment, but does it really matter? The triumphant finale of this song makes you crave more Amazing Ghost. The closing horn section, along with Matthew White’s guitar parts, almost remind me of the driving force behind songs like “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. It all comes together so well. I need everyone to hear this song and fall for it as I did.
Conclusion
For Blasts Off, Amazing Ghost raised the bar as to what any of our expectations for the group may be. I can only hope that their recent marathon of material doesn't end anytime soon. This release is largely an indicator of what’s to come. If re-recording older tunes was a way of letting the past go, then I cant wait to see what they let the future become.