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Review
Timing is not Holy Ghost!’s forte. It’s now three and a half years since debut single Hold On emerged as a delicious fusion of tingling electronica and Italo-house piano chords. If they’d followed it up with a little more urgency they might have led the recent 80s electro revival, instead of being overtaken by fellow duos MGMT and Empire of the Sun. Not only that, but they are finally releasing their eponymous debut album in the same week that James Murphy has bowed out as LCD Soundsystem, begging the question of whether the duo can fill the gap left by their DFA label boss, friend and collaborator.
The answer to that question is, unfortunately, not really. While Holy Ghost! share Murphy’s veneration of off-kilter electro and driving disco, and often sound quite wonderful, they lack the versatility and emotional depth that lifted LCD Soundsystem above the NYC hipster scene. Do It Again opens the album in style, its pulsing synths, crisp beats and stadium-shuddering bass suggesting the gorgeous lovechild of Queen’s Radio Ga Ga and The Human League’s Love Action; but after the instant impact of that sound the album never truly develops.
This isn’t to say that Holy Ghost! isn’t enjoyable. Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser are obvious connoisseurs of 80s electro, and more importantly have found a way to bring it to life in a way which makes it sound fresh and dynamic. Wait and See is a fizzy concoction of chiming keyboard flourishes and flaring synthlines, over which Frankel delivers a playful, flirty vocal. It’s largely down to Frankel that Holy Ghost!, for all their synthetic music and hipster credentials, sound far warmer than they do cool.
There are other tracks that shine individually, too. The shuddering synths, whiplash beats and swooning falsettos of It’s Not Over sound like the Pet Shop Boys at their imperial peak, while Say My Name deftly combines huskily hypnotic melodies and ringing house pianos. Unfortunately, over 10 tracks, the band’s musical limitations become ever more obvious, with songs like Hold My Breath and Jam for Jerry rummaging through the same box of retro tricks to lessening effect.
The album’s other major problem is that Frankel’s vague girls-and-clubs subject matter and amiable but restrained vocal technique leave little to grip onto beneath the shiny surface of the sound. Ultimately, Holy Ghost! supplies a feast of style, but it skimps on substance.
--Jaime Gill
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
CD Description
Holy Ghost! is the eponymous debut album from electro duo and remixers extraordinaire Nick Millhiser and Alex FrankA label. Hailing from New York, the twosome made their mark with remixes of tunes from the likes of Moby, MGMT and Cut Copy, and the album includes the single "Do it Again".
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2 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hmm, does remixing Cut Copy mean you have to sound like them? Well, with Holy Ghost it seems it does, because apart from a slight difference in musical sound (a SLIGHT difference) this sounds just like Cut Copy to me. The album isnt unpleasant, I mean nowhere near as unpleasent as virtually every song in the UK Top 40 this week, but it still sits quite flat and never really lifts about a 3 star review. The single "Do It Again" kinda reminds me of Roxette too, and thats just not good lol. My favourite track on here would be "Static on the Wire" which funks along quite well on a sunny friday morning as I write this review. 3 Stars at best then.
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