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My iPod #421: Supergrass – Ghost of a Friend

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Sadly Diamond Hoo Ha, Supergrass’ sixth album released in 2008, turned out to be their last as the group’s four members from Oxford went their separate ways two years later. Although to me it doesn’t rank up there as one of Supergrass’ best albums, Diamond Hoo Ha still provides many moments of melodic joy and rocking tunes.

From what I can recall, the album was available to listen to on NME’s website before it was physically released and one of the songs I remember listening to around the time was “Ghost of a Friend”. I liked it then, and it remains a favourable track of mine from Diamond. Apart from being a straight up memorable song, what also made it stick in my head was the observation that it was sung, not by Gaz Coombes or Mick Quinn, but by the band’s drummer Danny Goffey making it the only track (I am sure of this) in the band’s discography where this occurs.

Although the song has a brisk and peppy quality to its sound – Gaz provides some backing vocals as does vocalist Jodie Rose – it is quite a sad one thinking about it now. It concerns a narrator who is visited by the…. ghost of a friend who takes him away from the ‘fools’ and ‘clowns’ that are dragging him down. Eventually it comes to the point where the ghost has to leave again, but the narrator upon seeing the ghost feels much happier than he did before. A bit emotional.

But this all shouldn’t come to mind when actually listening to the song. I also feel much happier after hearing it. In fact, to me it had the potential of being a single. It was not meant to be. But it is an underrated gem amongst the many others Supergrass already have.

My iPod #420: Nine Black Alps – Ghost in the City

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“Ghost in the City” closes out Nine Black Alps’ third album “Locked Out from the Inside“; after ten tracks of murky guitars and brutal rhythms, “Ghost” arrives as the slow comedown to bring it all to an end.

Maybe one of the softest Nine Black Alps songs with Sam Forrest’s vulnerable and gentle vocals, “Ghost in the City” also creates an eerie and barren atmosphere helped along by a siren-like wailing that appears at various points throughout and its overall production in that it sounds very natural. For instance, in parts where the guitars stop playing or just by listening to the song’s depressing guitar lick, every sound you hear echoes and reverberates around your headphones. It feels like everything’s moving in slow motion, though you’re right there in the studio with the band while they play the song to you.

Just short of five minutes, “Ghost in the City” carries on the themes of alienation and isolation that are noted to within the album though rather than using those themes to make another headbanger, “Ghost” brings to the forefront how miserable and frustrating feeling alone can be.

My iPod #419: Neutral Milk Hotel – Ghost

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I don’t have much to say about “Ghost”. It’s a track that upon listening through Neutral Milk Hotel’s album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea I thought, “Hmm. That was a really good one”, and immediately became one of my favourites.

The track comes near the end of the album and provides something of an energy boost after the eight minutes of “Oh Comely”. Beginning with frantic strumming of a sole acoustic guitar, “Ghost” is then dominated by a buzz that occurs at frequent intervals via a pedal-affected guitar and like most of the other tracks on the album is carried along by Jeff Mangum’s wailing, free flowing vocals. Though the best part to me of the whole track is the last minute or so, when the horns enter and a (theremin?) proceeds to mimic the melody of the verse while the drummer smashes the crash cymbals on every beat with a variety of fills in between.

A song about feeling free and remembrance, “Ghost” is a track of elation,  succeeding in making this listener feel good with exhilarating aplomb.

* May want to listen to it with the accompanied “Untitled” instrumental track too. Makes for extra good listening. Of course you might want to hear the album in full to get the proper experience.