Album Review by EDF
The sixties have a lot to answer for. Ever since Jim Morrison headed for the great bathtub in the sky, there have been numerous acts since that have been shaking The Doors stick in your face. Visiting Ghosts are obviously influenced by The Doors and to prove their point they even includes the words “funeral pyre” in DALLERAY.
What we have here is the typical Australian student in the UK answering an ad placed by a New Zealander. Unbelievably, they started writing songs together and eventually became a four piece. It is very hard not to compare this album to the first two Doors albums but I will in this case. Charles S Campbell-Jones sounds like he has been through it all, with his ‘I’m going to tell you about the world’ quality in his voice.
This debut album represents a band that have no shame in producing the sort of music that is both a part them and part of their influences. Although there are one or two tracks that might show that they are also secret metal-heads, the songs contain everything from love and death to miscommunication and anxiety. It is a safe bet to say that Visiting Ghosts are not looking for a slot on the national singles charts but are instead hoping to impress music lovers with their songs. In fact, the slight dark undertones that flows through these songs is a welcome break from those more well established groups who play it safe to gain an audience. If you are in doubt, just catch the intro to BRING YOUR LOVE TO ME and attempt to name any other group out there that sounds like the Visiting Ghosts. Hope they come back to visit us again.
