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Hurricane Bells - Tonight Is The Ghost

Harmonising folk rock. It’s the Beach Boys / Beatles-incarnate, it’s the era of soaring melodies and clever hooks and lyrics; jump on the bandwagon and get signed for a major motion picture. Yes, the freight train for indie musicians came bearing vampires, werewolves and pasty white diamond skinned teen romantic tragedy. If you don’t know what I’m talking about I’m not going to tell you (you’re better off), but I will tell you that Hurricane Bells was one of those bands roped in, amongst the likes of Radiohead, Muse, Grizzly Bear and a frothing foaming pit of the best of alternative rock of the decade. With the track ‘Monsters’ in that mix, Tonight is the Ghost is the Hurricane Bells debut album riding in its wake.

Steve Schlitz, frontman and guitarist of Longwave for the last decade, wrote, played, sung, recorded and mixed the album in its entirety. Solo side projects that are entirely solo always seem a little bit too ambitious, especially with some of the harmonies and musicianship this album provides, how can we possibly look forward to a live show of a similar caliber? It’s fair that he will bring along a few friends to tour and provide the missing ingredients, but will they share Schlitz’ passion? This is all merely hypothetical however because first you have to enjoy the music enough to want to go to a gig.

If this is your first taste of the aforementioned harmonious folk rock in recent years, and you’re a little bit moody, a little bit heartbroken, but too relaxed to care, then this could be the best half hour of the last few months. However, if you’re familiar with any of the RIYLs in the list, you might find yourself thinking a few of the following things:

• --Fleet Foxes' harmonies aren’t as overdone as on "I Can’t Remember" and I like their variety of vocals.
  


• --Cut Off Your Hands did that flowing lyrics over snare drum in the opening track a little better.
  


• --Boy and Bear would’ve provided better lyrics over that bridge in "Freezing Rain”.
  


• --The Temper Trap’s closing instrumental track was a lot more important to their album, and they aren’t pretentious enough to call it "Tenterhooks" as if this album has been good enough in their eyes that its left us wanting so much more.

Granted though, if your own train of thought does sound like that, you aren’t listening to the album for musical value; you’re listening from a reviewer's point of view. Don’t do that, that’s our job.

But in it’s essence, that is the problem with this album; hidden amongst its solo project roots of emotional investment and blended eight track recording vocals there is nothing. There is no honest originality in the project - it is a recreation of all the bands, and many others, I mentioned above. Tonight is the Ghost is an accomplishment in itself, but surrounded by the other artists in the genre, it just doesn’t stand up.

--Sandy Powell