Ghost Notes

Album Review

Ghost Notes is the perfect moniker for this album, Everest's first. The group may be new, but the members have been kicking around the L.A. indie scene forever, finally coming together in this amalgamation to resurrect the sounds of the past. Recorded mostly live in the studio entirely on analog tape, the entire set has an early-'70s feel, as well as a glow to the sound that reflects Mike Terry's expert engineering and production. The album divides rather nicely into two halves, just like a vinyl set, with the first half a bit brighter with pop undertones, the second more shadowed and pushing into jam and prog rock territory. "Trees" is buffeted by a breeze blowing out of the South, "Into Your Soft Heart" is tinged with British Invasion R&B and a whip of Who-esque power chords, a styling taken to its logical upbeat conclusion on the wildly infectious "Reloader." In contrast are downtempo numbers like "Rebels in the Roses" and "Black Covers," the former folk-tinged, the latter lusher in sound. Each one has its own many distinctive charms, but it's the gorgeous, introspective "Only in Your Mind" that is the centerpiece of this half of the set. If you distilled Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds, and Revolver into a glass and poured it over the California surf, it would probably sound like this. The glories of "Mind" are equalled by the exquisite aural tapestry of "I See It in Your Eyes," a head-nodder of a number whose rich acoustic guitar is underlit by the tidal waves of organ, while the electric guitar eventually wades right into the surf. However, its jammy feel and proggy aura are counter-pointed by passages clearly inspired by Neil Young. Meanwhile, "Standing By" begins like an acoustic ballad but builds into an amazing spacy extravaganza. "Angry Storm" is gently rocked with yearning, and the coursing "Stumble Waltz" never puts a foot or note wrong, with the album closing with the powerful acoustic ballad "Taking on the Future." The music throughout is sublime, the sound extraordinary, the arrangements inspired, and Russell Pollard's lyrics capture the style of the past while feeling as fresh as today. Classic sounds make for a classic album, which is precisely what Ghost Notes is.