Albums

Ghostlight - Breathing Underwater

Richard Wink 03/09/2009

Rating: 0/5

Be suspicious of polish and professionalism. Be wary of a debut being the finished article. Ghostlight come with an unnatural blinding sheen, for a new band this is always going to rub us critics up the wrong way. Before we reluctantly came to hate the likes of Coldplay, Snow Patrol and even U2 we were at one time quite fond of their 'early stuff', when the lyrics seemed a little more earnest, when the egos were in check, when the music wasn't formulaic and artificial. Ghostlight have made a mistake, a basic, elementary error; neglecting to remember that you should never come to the party wearing your smartest suit.

I think we have a classic case of finely trained musicians confusing studio competency for credible quality. Instead of a sonically triumphant debut we have a sterile tour de force of blunt mediocrity. Dreadfully dripping with processed piano, impassioned though somehow emotionless vocals and non-specific lyrics that are both brainless and banal 'Breathing Underwater' is mid afternoon Radio 2 fodder. Now I don't wish to diss Radio 2, but Steve Wright and Chris Evans are prize starfucking dicks who cannot be trusted as arbiters of musical taste, this crap would be right up there alley. Music for people that don't really like music.

'The Weight of Gravity' is nothing more than a Snow Patrol impression, so laughable it's Guitar Hero: Rory Bremner Edition, vocalist Al Wright even adds a little Gary Lightbody vocal tick at the end. Shame Shame Shame on Ghostlight. I'm going to stop now before the band (and possibly Steve Wright and Chris Evans) decide to take legal action against me.