I Am Ghost – We Are Always Searching

I Am Ghost – We Are Always Searching / 2005 Epitaph / 9 Tracks / http://www.iamghostmusic.com / http://www.epitaph.com / Reviewed 14 October 2005

Coming out much more like the Eurhythmics than the Nekromantix, the smooth vocals really provide a contrast with the rapidly increasing fuzziness of the instruments during “The Dead Girl Epilogue: Part One”. When the band actually gets into their groove, they show themselves to be an equal mixture of “Waking the Fallen”-era Avenged Sevenfold, AFI, and “My Bloody Valentine-like” Good Charlotte.

The crunchy opening to “Pretty People Never Lie” shows a nice double-vocal dynamic that really is the ultimate in a track of dichotomy, whether it be between dark/light, guitar/bass or male/female. The use of strings during “We Are Always Searching” is reminiscent of the same instrument’s use in Yellowcard’s last few albums, but there seems to be a much harder edge to I Am Ghost’s music that allows for the band to really incorporate non-traditional instruments without seeming like they are just vying for attention. The music that I Am Ghost puts forth on their “We Are Always Searching” is not necessarily any one given genre; a track like “The Most Beautiful Nightmare: Part Two” seems to edge closer to the emo/post-hardcore label than anything else on the disc, but is still led by instruments that are as intense as any put forth on a metal or punk album. The vocals laid down by Steve on this album really provide listeners with some of the sweetest sounds to be found on this disc. What is surprising is the diversity of sound that Steve can bring forth to the track, whether it be the smoothed-out sound that dominates “Beautiful Nightmare” or the shrill screaming found on “Kiss Me Like You Wanted”.

The only thing that can possibly be shown as something lacking during “We Are Always Searching” is that Kerith (the violinist who does show up in a vocal sense on much of the disc) is not given a more major role in any of the tracks here. When there is a larger role for Kerith (such as in “Lady Madeline in Her Coffin”), the music has an intensity to it that is not comparable – a brand of chaos rules the track, even though there seems to be some form of structure that is present throughout. What happens is that the music contained on a track like “Lady Madeline in Her Coffin” is quite like a furious rainstorm on an ocean, causing massive waves to swell and crash against the nearest land but certain other factors present on the track – like the guitars – show this to be under the control of a director.

Top Tracks: The Last Goodbye of Smile and Bone, We Are Always Searching

Rating: 6.4/10

[JMcQ]