The album opens with “Bewildering Black & White Moments Captured On Trail Cams,” which creates an unusual atmosphere as it starts, dark and eerie. Then the drums come in, and the song begins to take shape, the harmonica acting as our initial guide. “There is no such thing as a true believer/No such thing as common ground/The sweetest dreams come in a fever.” Those are compelling opening lines, making that strange atmosphere more concrete. “You may be listening to a liar/But it may get you through the night.” I know there will come a time when I will hear the word “liar” and not immediately think of a certain bloated presidential candidate who belongs in prison, but that time is not yet here. This is a powerful and moody number to draw everyone in and set things in motion. I love the dark folk sound these guys create on “Are The Angels Pretty?” Here the duo sings, “Is it true that we deserve what we’re gonna get/And are the angels pretty?” Ah yes, life is uncertain, and sometimes we need confirmation that what we’re experiencing is true. This track features some nice work by Marc Ribbot on electric guitar. This is a song that the duo previously included on By My Side and on Playground.
“Beautiful Day” is the first song I heard from this album, back in December, the song that got me excited about it. There is a catchy rhythm, and the acoustic guitar is a big part of that appeal. “Somebody else’s reverie/Somebody else’s eyes/Somebody else’s sunrise/On a blood red sky/Never die/Never die/Never die/Never die/Never die.” How strange it would be to find yourself dreaming another’s life, and finding freedom within that. For then there are no worries, right? Gar Robertson plays both mandolin and piano on this one, and Jolie Holland joins the duo on backing vocals. Jolie Holland also provides backing vocal work on “Deeper Shade Of Blue,” and does the whistling. This one also features some really nice work on acoustic guitar. “I have come here for a reason/I’ve come here to start anew/But all I see is a deeper shade of blue.” There is a roughness to the vocal performance that works so well to convey a certain weariness, a certain experience, a certain disposition. And yet this song is undeniably beautiful, and is one of my favorites. Gar Robertson plays electric guitar on this track.
“The Golden Gate” has a gentle vibe, with Georg’s acoustic guitar being the only instrument to support the couple’s vocals. “It’s not the foam on the wave crest/But the sea below/And the weight in your hand/That you can’t let go.” I also love these lines: “Nothing but skin/Between/Me and you/And a dream/To live up to.” This is a tender-sounding song that makes me want to hold my love in my arms and let the world pass by. That’s followed by “Rosary.” Jolie Holland delivers some gorgeous work on violin at the beginning of this one, helping to set the tone. This track also has a strong rhythm. “And if I had a friend I know he would agree/Justice will be done eventually.” Beautiful and frightening. Heike Binder’s work on theremin is fantastic. Then “Southbound Plane” begins with acoustic guitar supporting the vocals, before the others come in. Check out these lyrics: “There’s a gray light shining/On the far side of my eyelids/And a stillness in my mind/That I can’t explain/Angry men and women in their family vans/Spreading the gospel/But I’ve got a ticket for a window-seat/On a southbound plane.” And when Georg Altziebler sings of the blue, blue skies, it feels like the song itself could take us across the sky.
“New Frontier” is a solo performance by Georg on vocals and guitar. “All the places we used to go/I don’t go there anymore/I see the pale blue light in the afterglow/Of a long forgotten war.” His voice is perfect for singing of the past, of things that are no longer, with that air of melancholy, and a sense of having adjusted to, or at least accepting of, the present. The slow, strong beat of the next track, “Kindness Of The Moon,” then catches us by surprise. The sound of this one is forceful and fascinating, ominous and inevitable. And the lines “Life here is slow/‘Cause speed never pays/Not in the heart of the city/Anyway” work so well with that slow beat. Adding to the interesting sound are Bob Furgo on violin and Jolie Holland on processed violin. Then partway through the beat gives way to a gentler, softer section. “From the flash boulevard/To the burial ground/From the underpass/To the merry-go-round.” This track gets right on top of you, and it’s one of my favorites.
A Shakespeare reference in a song always stands out for me and makes me pay closer attention, and “The Waterlily And The Dragonfly” contains such a reference in its first few lines: “I see the lily pond come alive in the moonlight now/In a sweet midsummer night’s dream.” And soon they sing of fairies. There is a sweet vibe to this track’s sound, and so certain lines are jarring, such as these: “Can’t you see it’s surely gonna kill me” and “I’m going to wither in the heat/Wither and die.” The duo also included this song on the 2021 release Solitary Company. This new version has a fuller sound. The lyrics mention crickets at one point, and the album then concludes with “Cicadas,” a short instrumental piece that begins with the sound of insects and features some good guitar work.
CD Track List
- Bewildering Black & White Moments Captured On Trail Cams
- Are The Angels Pretty?
- Beautiful Day
- Deeper Shade Of Blue
- The Golden Gate
- Rosary
- Southbound Plane
- New Frontier
- Kindness Of The Moon
- The Waterlily And The Dragonfly
- Cicadas
Ghost Ranch was released on March 22, 2024 on Fluff And Gravy Records, and is available on vinyl as well as CD.
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