Ghost in the Rain

Pappas has done what many synthpop artists have attempted but few have accomplished – he has carved out his own unique sound, characterized by beautifully crafted lyrics that create pictures in your mind and songs that are a bit melancholic without crossing the line into excess. I got the impression as I listened to Ghost in the Rain of a seasoned artist who is in supreme command of his instruments and his voice, able to blend the two into perfect, evocative tapestries.

This is not music to listen to while driving in your car. Rather, curl up in a chair in a quiet spot – preferably on a chilly, rainy night – slow down your busy mind and immerse yourself in its subtle and irresistible charms.

Here are some highlights of this incredible album:

Vintage – A haunting aural delight about a long-dead film noir movie star with whom the narrator is smitten. It features shimmering synths and minor key riffs, overlaid by George’s delicate voice. It is a great mood piece; Pappas does a masterful job of creating a song that evokes mental images of a femme fatale lighting a cigarette in a shadowy alley. Vintage sets the tone for the rest of the album with its moody atmospheric style.

Ghost in the Rain - Another deeply haunting ballad about a broken relationship. “I am a ghost/trembling in the rain/I am a ghost/Remember me this way.” An echoey, garbled voice track and sythesized chorus in the middle of the song reinforces the mental image of a ghostly figure, trapped between two worlds. Not scary, just sad. Once again, the synths are the perfect accent to this song – used for emphasis in between the vocals, rather than a layered wall of sound. Very effective!

Stay With Me - This is the closest thing to a love song on this album. Stay With Me is a nice mid-tempo melody with just a touch of melancholy around the edges.

Brigette – When he was writing this song, Pappas imagined an allied soldier in the trenches on the “killing fields” of France during World War I – where tens of thousands of troops gave their lived. He is awaiting the order to charge toward certain death, and holds in his hand a crumpled image of a beautiful woman who he has never met. He’s pining for a love that never was, while realizing he only had a few hours to live before the order to charge would come. The lyrics of Brigette are incredibly evocative: “My Brigette/As the earth becomes my blanket/And autumn dies/I’ll be left behind.” This is a beautiful, heartfelt song.

Perfect World – A quirky synth riff at the beginning gives way to a melancholy song. “Voices shriek aroud my ears/They cry forlorn, then disappear/But when you’re here, they dance and swirl/And when you’re here, it’s another world.” A chorus of voices with a synthesizer riff on top is the perfect instrumental close to this gorgeous arrangement.

Vanishing Girl – I love the concept behind this song. The narrator is obsessed with a girl at a local horror show who vanishes before the eyes of the audience. He watches her evey night, and fantasizes that when she disappears, she goes to be with him – until the next day’s show. But he longs to hang on to her, and to not have to share her with the audience at the horror show. “Vanishing girl, if I stop you from reappearing/Then you’ll always be with me/You’ll only be real in my private show.” Another very cool song – one of my favorites on Ghost in the Rain.

Music Box Doll – The album closes with another evocative ballad. This one is about a pale girl who is very fragile, like an old, cracked music box doll. The story teller remembers a better time when she was “full of life” and “ten feet tall,” but today she is a mere shadow of her former self.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, I’m sure it’s fairly obvious who my favorite synthpop artists are – groups like Mesh, DE/VISION, Iris, Babylonia, Foretaste and Marsheaux. Still, I’ve been hungering for some time now for an artist or album that would literally blow my socks off. So much of what I get to evaluate as the author of this blog is average, forgettable music that I just can’t connect with, melodically, lyrically or emotionally. When nearly anyone can produce electronic music, you’ve got to skim through a lot of dross to get to the real gold.

I’m happy to report that George Pappas and his Alien Skin project have exceeded my expectations on all these levels. Ghost in the Rain is a masterpiece, easily one of the best new albums of 2012, in my opinion. I highly recommend it!

Tenek, one of the most consistently excellent acts on the synthpop scene, recently released a new EP that contains two new songs, a radio-friendly version of one of them and two remixes of songs from its stellar last album, On the Wire. The magic continues on this new disc, named EP2.

EP2 opens with What Do You Want, a likeable mid-tempo number that features tight vocal harmony between Peter Steer and Geoff Pinckney atop a rollicking mix of synths, violin, cello and a driving drum track. The string instruments bring a strong organic feel to this excellent song, and form the perfect counterpoint to the rest of the song’s tight arrangement. The violin part was played by the legendary Chris Payne, who was part in the original line-up of Gary Numan’s band from 1979 to 1989. There’s also a bit of cello in this mix. Nicely done!

The other new track on EP2 is next, Elusive, a dance floor filler that balances the duo’s awesome vocal harmony with a driving, echoing synth line. If God is in the details, then that explains why this is a divine track. Little synth bits drift in and out of the headphones, adding that extra element of aural appeal to an already solid track.

Next up is an alternative mix of The Art of Evasion, one of my favorite tracks from On the Wire. I think I like the album track a bit better, which was just a little bit punchier than this version.

After The Art of Evasion, the next track on EP2 is an alternative mix of Higher Ground, the last single from On the Wire. This track has a style similar to the last one- just a slightly different take on another excellent track that is hard to improve upon. Again, give me the album version over this one.

Elusive (Radio Edit) closes EP2. Its arrangement has been altered slightly to reduce its length and make it more radio-friendly. If someone asks you, “Tenek? Who’s that?” then have them listen to this track. If they don’t go, “Wow! These guys are awsome!” then call for an ambulance, because it’s obvious they don’t have a pulse!

I can’t wait for Tenek’s next full-length album. Hopefully they can make it to the States to play some gigs, too! Based upon what I’ve been seeing from the group’s Facebook fan page, the dynamic duo has been very busy playing gigs throughout Europe, steadily exposing more people to their unmistakable sound. I got to meet Geoff during the Chicago stop of the Legends of Synthpop tour in April; he was playing with Mesh. What a great guy! Bring Peter with you next time!

For more details on Tenek’s current activities and future plans, I urge you to check out this excellent interview with the Geoff and Peter on The Electricity Club’s website.

If the songs on In Scarlet and Vile have a darker tone to them, it’s in large part because the group has decided to tackle some of life’s challenging issues, such as the nature of suffering, temptation and grace.

“Almost every song on the record deals with some kind of struggle,” frontman Joey Belville explains. “Some resolve, some don’t. Both sides of that coin present hope, comfort, or both. Hope that things can resolve, or comfort in hearing that at least one or two people feel or have felt they way we do.”

The album gets off to a strong start with a rocking song called Heaven (The Devil’s in the Details). It features some nice vocal harmony between Joey and Chrissy Jeter and a driving guitar line.

This powerful vibe continues with a lush uptempo number called Revenge that combines synths and guitar into a strong, punchy number that is one of my favorites on this album.

Flame, one of the songs previously released as a single, is next up. It sounds like it’s arrangement has been tweaked slightly to freshen it up for the album. It’s another strong song, which features Joey covering a remarkable vocal range.

The Huntress features Chrissy on vocals, and has a definite 80s vibe to it. Not one of my favorites.

Let’s Go is another uptempo song underpinned by an echoing lead guitar. Joey and Chrissy trade off vocals in a point-counterpoint at several points in the song, and sing in harmony in other parts.

Dead Hearts – This mid-tempo song has a bit more of a layered, orchestral feel to it, and it sounds very much like a “traditional” EG song, with soaring synths and light, airy guitar punctuated by Joey’s distinctive vocals. The Suffer EP contained a  demo of this song; the finished version has a depth and a brightness to it that makes it really come alive.

Suffer – This is another song that was previously released on an EP. It goes back and forth between Joey’s verses accompanied by a sparse synth line and a big bombastic hook that melds a driving synth line with a powerful lead guitar riff. The contrast is quite striking. This as an awesome song that delivers the message that even in suffering, there is grace.

The preview version of In Scarlet & Vile contains a Glen Nicholls remix of Sanctuary, another single first released in 2010. It has an ominous feel to Joey’s vocals and a a powerful beat. The big highlight of this song comes near the end, when Chrissy has a solo that absolutely shimmers – I actually got goosebumps the first few times I listened to it – wow!

King Planet is one of the tracks that are exclusive to the special edition of In Scarlet & Vile, and it’s a must-have in my book. It’s different than anything you’ve heard from Joey & Co. The lyrics are more spoken than sung, almost like an electronified rap song. King Planet is brimming with attitude, and I can immediately tell he had a blast producing it. According to his comments in my recent interview with him, he explained that this song gave him an opportunity to flex some different musical muscles. King Planet is one kick-ass song!

Voices Carry, an 80s classic by ‘Til Tuesday, gets the EG treatment, with Chrissy’s vocals riding on top of a lush pastiche of synthesizers. It’s a beautiful, inspired cover – well done!

If you’re a fan of The Echoing Green, then In Scarlet & Vile is a must-add to your music collection. If you haven’t dug into their impressive catalog, then you owe it to yourself to check out this excellent album by one of the best contemporary synthpop groups today.