Apollo Ghosts: Mount Benson
Vancouver, Canada seems like a mecca for indie rock. The city is home to the likes of the New Pornographers, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Japandroids, and Destroyer just to name a few. Being an upstart band from a city over-saturated with indie rock isn’t easy, but that’s what Apollo Ghosts were faced with. However their self-released debut album, Hastings Sunrise was critically acclaimed. They seek to continue their success on their sophomore album, Mount Benson.
The album immediately struck me as odd. It contains 13 songs but is only 25 minutes. With songs that average under two minutes, you might expect some fast hard punk. However, that is not what Apollo Ghosts are selling. Instead the band specializes in short but sweet quirky indie pop tunes. Track titles include “Coka-Cola Admen”, “Samurai Chatter”, and “Salmon Capital”.
Stylistically, the album runs a gamut of indie rock styles. Opening track “Wakesiah” reminds me of Say Hi. The track is coy, droning indie rock sung by a wobbly voice. Other tracks like “Things You Go Through” and “Attaquez! Attaquez! Attaquez!” have more of a Unicorns‘ or Lovely Feathers‘ vibe to them. The tracks have manic energy with little attention to quality of vocals.
Usually with an album full of short songs, I would say something like “the album is not cohesive” but the lack of cohesiveness is not missed on Mount Benson. The tracks are short enough to not wear out their welcome and keep you wanting more. The album is not a masterpiece, but its definitely better than average. The Ghosts may have actually outdone their critically acclaimed debut.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Apollo Ghosts “Coka-Cola Admen”
Buy: iTunes
Apollo Ghosts: Mount Benson
