Cherry Ghost: Thirst for Romance
Cherry Ghost - If only more records sounded like this
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Monday, 09, Jul 2007 04:55
Heavenly, out July 9th.
In a nutshell...
Irresistably heartfelt storytelling
What's it all about?
Thirst for Romance tells the story of the loneliness, joy, heartache and hope of everyday life. Drawing upon his experiences and the colourful characters around him, Cherry Ghost re-imagines his world with haunting pianos and yearning guitars.
From the opening title track, he seems a little older and a little wiser than his peers, yet no less optimistic. He sings of lost love and of the struggles of life, his stories infused with a kind of northern melancholy and humour - both in seemingly equal measure.
Who's it by?
A veteran of the UK's music scene, Bolton native Simon Aldred decided to leave a succession of failed bands behind and make a name for himself as a solo artist. Taking that name from a line in a song by alt-country band Wilco, Aldred's demos began to stir the industry into action and he was signed to Heavenly Records.
Thirst for Romance was recorded in a remote studio in the north-west with help from Jimi Goodwin of label mates Doves, like whom, Cherry Ghost combines a broad range of influences and musical styles to create a rich and ecclectic sound that takes in folk, straight up guitar pop, country and more than a little soul.
Aldred also drew upon the talents of producer Dan Austin, famed for his work with Massive Attack.
As an example...
"God knows what is hiding in that weak and drunken heart / I guess you kissed the girls and made them cry / Those hard-faced queens of misadventure" - People Help The People
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys?
Although it may attract the attention of the Mercury Music Prize judges, Thirst for Romance is likely to be ignored by the mainstream award ceremonies. However, both People Help The People and Mathematics are worthy of any list of the best songs of the year, with each showcasing Aldred's brilliant pop sensibilities.
So is it any good?
Crafted with the kind of emotional depth missing in the work of his peers, Aldred's beautifully poignant melodies and aching lyrics create an album of epic proportions that deals with the often overlooked lives of ordinary people.
Listen to the way Aldred's lyrics evoke an everyday kind of loss and regret and still come away feeling hopeful and you realise just how powerful his songwriting can be. Drawing you into a world of lonely, forgotten characters, Aldred sounds like the last man in the bar talking of the one that got away.
People Help The People - surely the song set to bring him to a wider audience - boasts a soaring chorus and the kind of goosebump-inducing piano hook that the likes of Coldplay and Keane would kill for, while Mathematics' swirling strings and unique take on the unfathomable equations of love is as perfectly infectious as anything else out there today.
Yet nothing comes close to the sheer brilliance of Dead Man's Suit, a song of such longing and talk of missed opportunities, with its bitter-sweet chorus rising and crashing back down so superbly.
If only more records sounded like this.
9/10