So, Ghosts...
Roman. I wish I knew more about this guy, because I think I'm in love. On first listen to his new album, So Ghost?, I knew I had to get something of his up here on MFR, and fast. His sexy / creepy voice, deep and soulful, but kind of scary at the same time, is amazing. The music that he produces to back his voice is so out there and all over the map, it becomes a little difficult to describe, and because of this I had a really hard time deciding what song to pick.
On the slower songs, like album-opener "Saving Juno," the beats chug and crunch like the best Jackson productions, with strange background sounds from out of tune guitars to children's choirs and such. The faster songs on the cd, like this one, are the kind where you could dance around your bedroom / kitchen / cubicle like a spazz and nobody would fault you for it. How can you not want to dance to a song like this? Propulsive beats and cheering crowds? Hello?!? Amazing. One of the other really great fast songs is called "True Love Owes Us Shit" - a genius song with a genius title - that my friend Marisa said sounded like the Faint. I wanted to protest at first, because the Faint have fallen off so badly since Danse Macabre and Blank-Wave Arcade, but it definitely reminds me of their best (and obviously I mean earlier) work, with skittery beats, a driving buzzy bassline, a looming string section and great synth line that carries the song along with Roman's amazing voice. I just love the weird stories his songs tell, the music is totally perfect for them.
Did I say before how I'm totally enamoured with his voice? Jesus. Its almost scary - I think maybe he's got some weird, etherial connection to this world. Robot Mark said some of his songs reminded him of Björk, which I agree with, AND his press release actually mentions her as a reference point (which funny since Markie hadn't read it) - also mentioned are Scott Walker, Jacques Brel, Soft Cell and Michael Gira. All very interesting points of reference from a critical stance, but I think Roman does a genuinely good job of bucking most comparisons, and even better, bucking pop music conventions with his twisted arrangements. That's what it is about this music that is so pleasing, and at the same time so hard to wrap my head around: this is pop music.
Really, it is. Hell, there isn't even a song over four and a half minutes long on here! Much like Björk though, this is pop music from an entirely different world. A different universe even.
So Ghost? is released by Berlin's Karaoke Kalk on November 22nd. It will be available in the US through Forced Exposure, Haus Musik in Germany, and Boomkat in the UK - I know a month is a while to wait, but I'm totally serious when I tell you that you MUST buy this CD. It is fucking amazing.