Search - Songs: Ohia :: Ghost Tropic

Dangerous

03/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hello, four stars are cautiously awarded this album following profuse internal debate and deliberation. Plus some appropriate liquors. You can't go around throwing five cartoon stars at damn near everything; you've got to use them sparingly. If you know Mr. Songs:Ohia, you've likely already had your shop beautifully wrecked by his mournful sounds. Perhaps you purposely seek such devistation, like me. Good job.Ghost Tropic does something different than prior Songs:Ohia albums, in that it possesses a conceptual flow from beginning to end, which requires the listener to give their undivided attention throughout the course of the album (for maximum effect). There may not be as many 'hits' on this one, but Ghost Tropic's overall arc and aftermath can be near overwhelming, should your ears and heart yield to it's singular naked emotion. Therefore, be careful when listening."

Meditative breath

Dirk Hugo | Cape Town, South Africa | 04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Largely due to similar vocal phrasing and a foundation of sparse, organic instrumentation, comparisons between Songs:Ohia's Jason Molina and Will Oldham will inevitably abound. However, rather than provide a lo-fi homage to perverse maladjustment, Molina furnishes a technicolour portrait of the more ethereal territory of spiritual wanderlust and saddened backward glances. As a result, Ghost Tropic is a liberating musical experience - carrying all the weight of worldly woes yet still achieving an exhilirating level of emotional transcendence."

Dissappointing

Mr. R. A. Riggs | 04/13/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of Jason Molina's work, and this CD is definitely intriguing. There is a lot of very cool sounds on this album. But despite that, it's not very good. Previous Songs: Ohia projects went from being short, almost spastic snapshots of slanted lines and straightforward guitar parts. It wasn't eveyone's cup of tea, but it was pretty cool if you did like it. The last couple proper albums started fleshing out the songs more and, for the most part, the songs were good enough to really shine. But I think this record has pushed that same envelope beyond what these songs can take. As a result, this record is (intentionally) extremely sparse even though some of the arrangements are a bit complicated. The playing is very good all around too. But the songs are just not there. Jason sings infrequently, and when he does it with a deep, throaty voice that is not his most affecting. If this record were all instrumental and was released as a side project of Songs: Ohia, it'd be pretty cool. But as a full-length release from Songs: Ohia, it can be categorized as an interesting failure. Note: If you're already a fan of Songs: Ohia, don't let me stop you from buying this. There IS a lot of depth in this work, and some people love this record. Although I think it misses the mark most of the time, I can't blame Jason for trying some new and interesting things."