Palm Ghosts “I Love You, Burn in Hell”

sfilzen — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 19:45:41 +0000

Palm Ghosts “I Love You, Burn in Hell” released today, November 10th, 2023. Moody and modern, dreamy post-punk synthpop via Nashville. Sweet Cheetah / Poptek, Sell The Heart Records. If I had just stumbled across this album rather than put in my pre-order from Palm Ghosts’ Bandcamp page, I would swear its release date was closer to November 10th, 1981. Their highly accurate bio says they are “the sound of an 80s prom in a war zone…More at home in rainy Manchester, the quartet weaves cinematic dream pop and new wave with brooding post punk. Embracing their 80’s idols, like New Order, The Cure, David Bowie, John Carpenter and even Divine, Palm Ghosts take the genre to soaring new heights.” I think it’s their 8th LP (their first came out in 2014) and it’s a really great record and totally appeals to my musical root-love of 80’s synthpop and gothy post-punk. My top tracks are the danceable “She Came Playfully” and “Automatic for the Modern Age.” On those tracks, plus a lot of others, there’s an early 80’s anthemic soaring guitar sound reminiscent of U2’s Edge and Big Country, but darkened with a very heavy Cure, Joy Division and Siouxsie sensibility. “Fault Lines” is another favorite – it’s not quite as dancey (though it does have a great beat) – and I can imagine it, with its sound and lyrics, playing out the credits in a John Hughes film (this is a good thing!). I think what I am especially appreciative of with Palm Ghosts is that the guys in the band are (in my estimation) around my age (we saw them perform the past couple of summers up at Mile of Music in Appleton) – so they heard the 80’s sound in real-time. But the record does not feel nostalgic, instead it expresses their musical roots and that interpretation of the sound 40+ years on.

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Palm Ghosts “The Lost Frequency”

sfilzen — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 17:45:17 +0000

Palm Ghosts “The Lost Frequency” 2021. Limited edition marbled vinyl. Ice Queen Records. Dark wave, post punk’d dream pop from Nashville. I lost count scrolling through their Bandcamp page on what number of release this is – they have a lot of material dating back about 10 years. We picked up The Lost Frequency this past weekend up at Mile of Music when we caught their early Saturday afternoon set. As they themselves noted, it was pretty weird (but not unpleasant) seeing their show on a gorgeously perfect Midwestern sunny summer afternoon; their bio notes they are “more at home in rainy Manchester” or, I’m guessing, a late-night goth club. Their music is heavily 80’s inspired: a more than vigorous nod to The Cure, a bit of Smiths jangle and moody Joy Division, plus psychedelic touches of Echo & the Bunnymen and then throw in some atmospheric Cocteau Twins plus a a sprinkle sweeping anthemic early U2. I loved it! The fact that drummer Walt Epting was wearing a Quilz t-shirt (a band we know from Milwaukee whom they’ve toured with) didn’t hurt either.

While Palm Ghosts has clearly been around for awhile, The Lost Frequency is the first record we’ve gotten so I’m not entirely sure which tracks they played live on Saturday. My top picks are the lead track “Bloodlight” which leads off with a killer industrial-goth beat, then layers on soaring synths and Seventeen Seconds-era Cure guitar licks. I also like “Nightsong,” which is dreamy and beaty (great bass-line!) and the driving and dark Bauhaus-esque “Young Empire.” The track “John Carpenter” is as gothy as expected, with the lyrics “A fragile stage constructed on a fantasy drawn in the simple realization that the demon is within.”

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Palm Ghosts “I Love You, Burn in Hell”

Palm Ghosts “The Lost Frequency”