Ghost Knife: Kill Shelter Yes
Tobias FischerThere may be much unfortunate confusion when people buy this LP expecting "pop-punk," one of the main categories into which this stuff's been lumped. This stuff has nothing to do with the oversaturated emo market, as fans of Austin-based singer Mike Weibe (on leave from Riverboat Gamblers) would instinctively know.
But the rest of us don't, and so their sound -- close to Redd Kross or half the bands that came out on the SST label in the 80s -- may come as a letdown to people whose tastes are in their feet. It's a lost art they're indulging in here, echoes of Replacements/Thermals/Spits garage with hooks that are simultaneously upbeat and vaguely edgy, Clash guitars, reverb pegged up, no budget, you get the drift.
It's a seminal post-punk moment in Weibe's career, speed reduced but not completely booted out of the picture; a good move that flies in the face of conventional indie-rock wisdom simply because it's truly indie-sounding.
By Eric Saeger
Homepage: Ghost Knife
Homepage: End Sounds Records
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