Review Summary: ghost orchard brings you into his world.
Debut album 'poppy' by ghost orchard sound wise resides in the increasingly popular bedroom pop spectrum even using lo-fi production reminiscent of popular acts like julia brown, starry cat, and teen suicide. Don't let these aspects fool you into thinking this is someone trying to cash in on the sound though. While having some clear influence from bands in the genre this release is executed at a high level bringing its own twist to the sound and rivals anything in it. 'poppy' infuses layered subdued vocals accompanied by warm acoustic guitar, synth heavy xylophone beats and a sparingly used rhythm section. These elements are combined and incorporated nicely to form a a well executed and thought out listening experience.
The carefree uptempo album opener 'bicycle' hints at some of what's to come displaying one of the catchiest tracks on the album. Opening with a vintage sounding Casio keyboard beat as soon the guitar kicks in it really aims to grab you with its charming sounds. While lyrically living up to the song name with the artist claiming "I want to ride my bicycle and feel the wind in my air" it seems rather simple in context but vocally its just beautifully haunting. The performance takes a simple line like that come across as person desperately just needing an escape from everything.
More serious tracks like 'calloused' and 'remembrance' have some of the most honest lyrics I've heard all year and contain a lot more depth. The former features a full band of instruments that builds throughout before erupting into a heavier rhythm that simply just makes you wanna move. The latter is a slow drawing atmospheric track that really shows off some of the variation in song structure throughout this. As a whole every track feels like it belongs and flows perfectly into the next but each one does enough to feel different from the last. Arguably one of the strongest aspects of this release though is that it really comes off as a much needed catharsis for the artist and gives off the feeling that you are exploring the ups and downs of a persons life.
In all there just isn't many cons to be found here. While the production could be off putting for some it fits the sound perfectly. While admittedly some songs are stronger than others there isn't a single bad song to be found here. Some could feel the need for maybe a bit more variation sound wise, but overall the cohesiveness here is where 'poppy' thrives. With it being on the short side of only nine songs too it never over stays its welcome and begs for you to come back for repeated listens.
Simply with such a strong outing from a debut one can only imagine how ghost orchard will evolve over time. One thing for certain though is that the artist has brought you into his own little world and leaves you with a long lasting impression and high expectation's for what's to come.
