You hear a deep bass line... synths... violins... You start hearing a voice singing, then guitar riffs... Then a quick pause, and it all starts again, and suddenly you find yourself in another place. Perhaps this is what living in Ghostown feels like. It is a distinct possibility, I can't be sure that it is what it feels like, but what I am sure about is that nothing ever gave me the feeling this album did.
An impressive fusion of Hip-Hop, Electro and Trip-Hop,
ReflectionZ is a deep album like few others, delivered by Ghostown, a French trio as underground as it gets. Simply put, outside of his myspace, there is absolutely no information on them at all to be found. All we know is that it is composed of Rael, the rapper, Baptiste, the guitarist, and DJ Kirsa.
But this does not matter, as you do not need to know who Ghostown is to enter its universe, a profound, dark, almost inescapable world, with tales of murder, psychopaths, and anything that passes through the artists seemingly disturbed mind. While there are some lyrics in French here and there throughout the album, most are in English. Rael is a talented rapper, with a fully mastered flow that can at times be really impressive with a fast delivery, and while it sometimes becomes a bit difficult to understand, it is far from being a problem, because his flow is really interesting, even when he switches it down to create a more chilled atmosphere.
While the tales narrated by Rael are far from uninteresting, what makes
ReflectionZ a truly outstanding piece of work is the music backing the MC. The album is full of very deep beats, all delving into Trip-Hop territory, while still keeping a distinctly Hip-Hop vibe. Hard-hitting drums alongside violins, cords, synths, and various digitally-altered sounds, are all used to create an extremely deep, dark and layered sound. Some songs on here are instrumentals, and most if not all of them have long phases with no rapping, letting the listener totally absorbed in the truly magnificent beats. This really is a blessing, because Ghostown make beats like few others, the result being an extremely cohesive album, with an overall feeling that is overwhelming and haunting - which is rather fitting giving the artist's name.
Not only will you have the opportunity of talking your friend (that is if you have any) into listening to something they surely have never heard of (which, let's be honest with ourselves, is quite a joy), but for 71 minutes you will be trapped in a world, that while being quite morbid and dark, you will surely want to visit again.
Recommended Tracks :
Pecking Your Eyes
Big Moustache
Johny Marr
Dolphin
