DASHING DEBUTS: Ghosty – Grow Up or Sleep In

Ghosty are a group from Lawrence, Kansas that simply enjoys making catchy pop songs. This was evidenced in their 2002 EP, Three Pop Songs, which I enjoyed prior to hearing their debut album, Grow Up or Sleep In, about a year ago. The brainchild of Ghosty is Andrew Connor, who formed the band in 1999 with drummer Richard Gintowt. The band compares their swirlingly infectious melodies to The Shins, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Arcade Fire. Connor and Gintowt apparently clicked when they found out they shared a mutual love of similar bands, such as Wilco and The Flaming Lips. Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips enjoyed their sound so much that he even contributed to the last track of their Grow Up or Sleep In, “Clouds Solve It”.

“Henry Greene” and “Big Surrender” compliment the sound of one another commendably. Lush and enjoyable, both have the hooks necessary for a great song. “Henry Greene” has insightful lyrics about a controversial topic of suicide while “Big Surrender” provokes fascinating thoughts about life after organized education. The album’s lyrics are much like that in capturing a subject that will convey a various amount of emotions, succeeding in doing so on nearly every track. “Vandalism” starts off slower, but eventually speeds up into a very rewarding and beautifully done song that is led by a stellar piano. “Clouds Solve It” is far from the best on their album, and even sounds messy at some points, but the fact that Wayne Coyne contributed vocals to it makes it worth the post to most people. I strongly recommend Grow Up or Sleep In, as it was one of the sleeper hits of 2005.

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Ghosty – Henry Greene

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/gho-hen.mp3]

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Ghosty – Big Surrender

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/gho-big.mp3]

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Ghosty – Vandalism

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/gho-van.mp3]

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Ghosty – Clouds Solve It (featuring Wayne Coyne)

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/gho-clo.mp3]

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Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

Send your music to [email protected].

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