Answers

It is truly surprising that Lawrence, Kansas based Ghosty are not garnering a considerable amount of buzz from the indie blog circuit considering they made an appearance on the Flaming Lips track “A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)” and have been the recipient of kind words from Norwegian musician Sondre Lerche. Although these things alone do not necessarily warrant buzz and instant adoration, when you factor in the attention from the New York Times and rave reviews for their debut effort Grow Up Or Sleep In from NPR and various other publications, it is strange that the band fly largely under the radar of most indie listeners. Answers, the follow up to their 2005 debut, may be the album that pushes them over the hump. “Dumbo Wins Again”, the leadoff track, immediately demonstrates that Ghosty are invincible against the dreaded sophomore slump. Smooth, soaring vocals, clean guitar melodies, and subtle keyboard accents make this track is a fine-tuned attention grabber and perfectly showcases the light, wispy indie pop style of Ghosty. More striking is the vocal similarities between vocalist/guitarist Andrew Connor’s voice and Matt Pond, which occurs a few times throughout the album. “You Are A Big Screen” continues the mellow yet catchy sound of “Dumbo Wins Again”, while “Junior Grows Up” is a much more upbeat track with a bit more punch. However, Answers is no one trick pony. Just when it seems Answers is going to be little more than eleven well crafted yet very similar indie pop songs bleeding together, Ghosty change things up a bit. “A Man With Answers” is an expansive track marked by a much subtler drumming style, free flowing guitar work, and backup vocals that are sprinkled throughout the track. “Make It Easier” is deliberately slow-paced, yet well calculated and relies on the strength of soulful vocals and simplicity. Although these tracks showcase Ghosty’s versatility, having all of these slower tracks placed back to back may cause some listeners to lose interest. Luckily, the band ropes the listener back in with the slightly moodier pop sensibilities of “The Underground Factory” and “A Good Customer”, which is mostly all build up that sets the stage for brief periods of release in the form of a guitar-noodling solo and a sudden tempo change in the percussion. “I Won’t Be Stopped” takes the bands folk-tinged rock tendencies and somehow meshes it with psychedelia to evoke images much like those found in the music video for the track - a grainy 70’s video feel, tons of rapid color changes, and completely random **** happening (a girl trekking through the desert, a weird man on a motorcycle, and what seems to be an armored tractor trailer falling over a cliff in slow motion in an explosion of color). While Ghosty’s debut effort was not without its shining moments (“Big Surrender”, “Hey! Somebody“), Answers is a more focused effort that finds the band further refining their songwriting skills and taking some chances. It boggles my mind that Ghosty, who have the chops to become indie scene darlings, are denied the massive amounts of exposure given to some of their peers. Although some of the songs can begin to drag at times (“Make It Easier”, “I Tried”), many of the songs are instantly accessible and blend the band’s influences perfectly (“Dumbo Wins Again”, “You Are A Big Screen”, and “The Underground Factory”). Ghosty’s Answers may just be one of the most underrated releases coming out this year and if there is any justice in the world, Ghosty will finally gain the widespread attention they deserve.