"Ghost Notes" is a compilation of songs from bands on the little-known Genterine Records label. This 9 track, 3 video compilation contains many more misses than hits.
1. Cobweb Strange- Charity's Advent (4:59)
Recorded live during the 2nd Annual Rogue Independent Music Festival, this number is an AOR-ish rocker with some decent instrumental passages. Nothing out of the ordinary, however.
2. Farpoint- Crying In The Rain (6:50)
Formulaic melodic progressive, complete with a catchy chorus and female backing vocals. This one does feature some interesting keyboard/guitar interplay in the middle section.
3. Z-Axis- Concatenations (9:44)
One of the more interesting numbers on this compilation. It mixes elements of space rock with a hypnotic drum beat and some spoken word. The song then takes a tangent towards an 80s-like techno/trance number.
4. Karma Lingo- Wolves In The Fold (8:33)
These guys remind me of the mid-80s bands that couldn't seem to decide if they wanted to rock out or just pose. As cheesy as it gets. Enough said.
5. Electric Poem- On The Moon (4:42)
Anybody remember Men Without Hats ? This song reminds me of that pop outfit, which flirted ever-so-slightly with progressive rock while remaining entrenched in dance-pop mode.
6. Cobweb Strange- The Drowning Pulse Of The Cold Green Sea (9:03)
Epic track that means well but has too many awkward tempo shifts which tend to inhibit the fluidity of the song. Close, but no cigar.
7. Mantlepiece- Footprints (3:11)
Nothing but a poorly disguised country-rock ballad. Need I say more? Appearing this spring at a wedding near you.
8. Solution Science Systems- Tomorrow's Dream Today (8:31)
Well, what do you know ? A prog song! Well, close anyway. Wearing their 'Big 5' influences on their collective sleeves, the band does manage to convey some decent chops, most notably in the closing instrumental segments.
9. Lord Only- Man Of Many Dreams (7:10)
Finally, a horse I can ride! Excellent bass playing dominates this number. Easily the tightest sounding band on the disc, with a vocalist who's got the "Moving Pictures" era Geddy Lee vocals down pat.
People, our goal here is to accentuate the positive; so that's what I will do. Lord Only's forthcoming disc is entitled " Ecstatic Discharge" and it sounds promising. Probably the only band worth mentionning in this lot.
Final note: There are 3 Quicktime videos on this disc but I never got them to work on my computer, therefore, they were not part of this review.
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