Search - Ghostland Observatory :: Delete Delete I Eat Meat (Dig)

Must Listen

Adam Brawerman | Chicago, IL | 11/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As good, or better, than their other album, Paparazzi Lightning (see my review). They have the ability to reinvent themselves from song to song. Their songs always have a driving pulse, which is usually complimented with electronic melodic goodness. Check it out. Try something new."

Primitive Beats, Sonic Sounds & Simple Words = a great psych

O. Marie | Seattle | 02/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think Aaron and Thomas of Ghostland Observatory are geniuses. "delete delete - I eat meat" is a simply-written, eloquent album with even more lush-sounding synthesizers and extra-ordinary vocalizations than the first album. (Get the first album, too! And the Austin DVD! And tickets!)



Rhythms are smooth and straightforward, nothing heavy or too intense, more pleasurable, relaxing dance beats - and fun. (I love to do yoga to Ghostland.) I find the compositions to be one of the best things I've ever heard, soon to be the envy of other artists (such as Madonna, who only hires the "best"), those who make their approaches to electronica more complicated than it needs to be. "Candy Rider", "Silver City" and "Rich Man", among others, are songs that stick with you, and you'll remember.



I remember being in third grade, in the 1960's...! One day our teacher rolled a phonograph into the classroom and said - "Listen to this, everybody... This is what music is going to sound like some day in the future!" She proceeded to play an LP with a bunch of be-beep-bop sounds, and sounds that "weee-ee-dooop!" and tinkerbell noises. The children gathered around the machine, wrinkling their noses.



"But how will they ever make music with these sounds?" we asked. "Don't worry about it," our teacher said. "Someday, everyone will be doing it!" We just couldn't see it.



Imagine how thrilled we were years later, as teenagers, when the soundtrack to "Clockwork Orange" came out - we couldn't get enough of it. But even then, there was a general awareness that it would take a real talent to generate original music with synthesizers. And many have been more redundant than successful. Consider pop music...



Take the Rolling Stones - primitive beats and simple lyrics that are very much in the vein of "now", and therefore classic and timeless. The kind of music that puts you into a different space. Bowie and Eno's randomizing of lyrics and beats does the same thing... Aaron Behrens' on guitar can achieve similar power comparable to Bowie's friend, Reeves Gabrels. (Contrast this to bands like Depeche Mode, and The Cure, whose lyrics and sounds become depressed with time.)



Even The Doors screwed themselves over, not allowing themselves to expand beyond the scope of traditional music composition! Jim Morrison was set on being a great "poet"... But by needing to put across those "deep and meaningful messages", he not only got boring - he burned out. I don't see this happening for Ghostland Observatory.



I think GLO has mastered a kind of ritual-art sound that makes for a great psychic detach. I like all these pieces; they make me feel hopeful and happy; they provide lots of good, certainly spiritual, shamanistic energy. This music is a recourse you can turn to whenever you're tired of everyone else's b.s.! These two young guys are "they" - the ones are are making the music of the future. They will be around for a long time!

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'Rebel' Rod's - From Under the Basement

'Rebel' Rod Ames | Ingram, Tx | 10/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What would a robot making love to a tree sound like?



Well, if you ask Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner, they'll reply, "Ghostland Observatory!"



Behrens is the front man, guitar player, vocalist, and dancer extrordinare. Turner is the keyboardist and drummer. He also produces. Together they create Ghostland Observatory. Another little `ol band from Texas.



Correction! As it states on their web site, "Ghostland Observatory is not a band, but an agreement between two friends to create something that not only heals their beat-driven hearts, but pleases their rock `n roll souls." Amen to that! And can I have a Hallelujah?!



On their MySpace page they say the were influenced by such greats as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, David Bowie, The Doors, anyone with balls! All of the previously named artists had that in common.



Let's take Johnny Cash for instance. Did anyone ever see him doing a Trent Reznor song? Not only did he do that, He did it better than anyone has. If you can listen to him sing `Hurt' with out crying, well, your dead already, so forget it!



Ballsy! That's how their label, Trashy Moped Recordings, refers to it. And that's what Ghostland Observatory is. I was going to write about their album `Delete Delete-I Eat Meat' , but have decided to just write about this band. I love their sound, and if you could imagine a robot making love to a tree... Well I can hear that in their music. Mechanical, yet earthy.



The first time I ever saw or even heard of these guys was on Austin City Limits. They had me at the first note almost. Watching Behrens perform was reminiscent of Jim Morrison or Mick Jagger yet his gyrations were his own. Those gyrations add to the enjoyment of hearing them. His dancing about the stage only adds an energy to the performance and makes it all their own.



Right now I'm listening to 'Heavy Heart' from their latest album, 'Robotique Majestique'. It sounds like a what might happen if Prince were to mate with Led Zeppelin and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Rock n' Roll with a lot of soul! You have the earthy voice for Behrens complimented by the very methodical and mechanical sound of Turner's synthesizer. Truly amazing!



Their music is difficult to categorize, but if I had to label it I'd call it `funky techno rock'. Sometimes they'll have a very definite techno side, sometimes it will be straight up R & B. Most often, however , their music will be a combination of both.



Behrens has one of those voices that will be memorable for decades to come. I'm sure a major label will pick them up at some point. That will be great for this duo. Hopefully it will be great for the fans. It will be, so long as they don't get overly produced. Over production seems to occur far to often when a band goes to a major label.



The duo has released 3 albums since 2004. `Delete Delete-I Eat Meat', the first, was released in 2005. It was followed by `Paparazzi Lightning' released in 2006. Their latest release is the fore mentioned `Robotique Majestique' released in March of this year. All were released on Turner's label Trashy Moped Recordings (trasymoped.com).







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