Review: Ghostwoman’s “Welcome to the Civilised World” Album
eir duo status. They are like two skilled audio engineers scavenging through the sonic junkyard to piece together a powerful musical creation reminiscent of a Mad Max vehicle with V8 force, N2O, and chrome exhausts belching out fire, blues, and psychedelia. “Welcome to the Civilised World” is their latest album, crafted in response to a world they view as broken, where creating music feels futile amidst the chaos of human behavior and the circus of life.
The album opens with two standout tracks paving the way for a high-octane musical journey. The title track introduces elastic guitar chords resonating like steel cables, accompanied by relentless drums pounding out each beat, setting the stage for the epic “Alive.” This song bursts with a killer riff after a snare drum announcement, with verses that glide seamlessly into soaring choruses, all riding on tremolo guitar waves.
Tracks like “that Jesus” cruise through neon-lit wet streets, while “Gold Pieces” channels the blues with a twist of graveyard glam rock. “Levon” envelops listeners with its telephone-filtered vocals and blackhole compression, drawing uncanny comparisons to the band Black Mekon. The album’s intuitive recording process is highlighted in “Gold Pieces,” borne out of a test run on a new tape machine, capturing the raw essence of their music in its purest form.
“Dime a Dozen” haunts with sparse chords and a military snare, while “When You Were All Young” showcases Ghostwoman’s ability to craft tunes that seamlessly slide into the depths of the listener’s psyche. “From Now On” immerses listeners in psychedelic liquid light shows, while “Anhedonia” slows things down with sultry guitar reverberations and a mesmerizing blues solo by Uschenko. The album closes with “Who Are You,” a song that masterfully balances double-time drums with half-time guitar, creating a tension that pierces through the soul.
Listening to Ghostwoman feels like a synesthetic experience, triggering vivid imagery of neon drag races, apocalyptic highways, and abandoned realms. They embody a mystical aura, evoking scenarios of abandoned cities, roiling seas under lightning storms, or subterranean rivers of lava. The band’s live performances feel magnetic, whether on a spooky abandoned carnival ground or atop silos of a deserted chemical plant. Ghostwoman serves as a counterbalance to the White Stripes with a different energy, resonating like a mix of Link Ray and John Bonham, pulsating with raw power that transcends the ordinary.
As I continue to be swept away by Ghostwoman’s music, I find myself embracing the ghosts they channel, haunting yet alluring in their sonic presence. Their music acts as a tuning fork, vibrating at the core of my being and unlocking a realm where sound becomes a visual tapestry of epic proportions. They are a force to be reckoned with, offering a gateway to a world where music transcends boundaries and awakens the senses. Music like theirs is a rare gem amidst the chaos, offering moments of respite from the tumultuous world we live in.