Ghastly City Sleep
Ghastly City Sleep

Release Date: 2007 | Tracklist

You know when Malady split I don’t think it was really an issue at all in my eyes. They seemed like a second hand collision between City of Caterpillar’s epic sounds and modern rock, so I can’t say that my heart was broken. But, I did feel that maybe pg.99’s crew of misfits was finally spent and that ever since the dissolving of that band there creativeness had just taken the best of them. A strange thing happened then though I heard Verse en Coma, Pygmy Lush and the band that this review is about Ghastly City Sleep. All of these bands take specific parts of the hell that was pg.99 and transform it into something a little more singular but just as interesting. Ghastly’s claim to fame is their transposition into standard post rock affair in the vein of Gregor Samsa. They aren’t really concentrating on crescendos but when they do they are beautiful (and feature beautiful people in the case of Ice Creaks guest from Mia Matsumiya) and they also aren’t really concentrating on huge waves of emotional catharsis. In a sense they’ve taken the sound Gregor Samsa orchestrated flawlessly on 55:12 and built upon it in vast ways.

I think the only major flaw of this album is a simple one; they start out with the best track the band has recorded. “Ice Creaks” is a serene composition that cycles through waves of synth, drum loops and airy vocals until finally it explodes into a Kayo Dot sized and assisted climax. Although “Ice Creaks” is a fantastic song it is also a bit misleading as the rest of the album doesn’t tend to follow the typical post-rock formula. “Suchness” is a slow burner than resembles Radiohead if they were still musically relevant and aware and “Subtle Disaster” seems to embody the calling call the Arcade Fire was trying to make with Neon Bible. Ghastly is more successful than those bands because one they write more interesting songs and two because they actually seem sincere in their efforts. Coming from a hardcore D.I.Y. background this album reeks of simple production, simple playing, and simple emotions. This isn’t a complex album by any means, and in terms of actually revolution there is little. But, it is so god damn sincere even in its advertising. The members of this band seem like they would have bled for this to be released and judging by their myspace comments they have. If Ghastly can encompasses just an ounce of the live prowess City of Caterpillar possessed than perhaps they’ll become one of the underground heavy hitters once again, because few bands are able to make music this beautiful and even fewer are able to do it after making music that was the complete opposite. It is a wonderful turn around and something of a rarity in a scene that is much more willing to rip off another man than take the time to make something that is their own.

Ghastly City Sleep’s debut is too short, too similar, but it is also one of the most solid releases of the year. Perhaps Gregor Samsa will try to one up them after this recording and if they do I’ll be surprisingly impressed but as for now Ghastly possesses a niche in a specific corner of post-rock and what they do next will I assume stretch people’s conceptions. A great debut from a great band is simply all Ghastly has done with this EP and is there anything else we could really ask for? Well, I guess a West Coast tour..

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3.9 excellent

Rank: #141 for 2007