In the four years since his last solo album, Chris Brokaw has kept busy. He's played with Come, Lupo Cittá, and others. Pursuing his own muse here on Ghost Ship, Chris invites us to enter his unique sound-world.
Opener "Over My Body" moves on top of meaty guitar-lines, whispered vocals guiding the way. The elegantly pretty title cut finds Brokaw plucking the strings to achieve a kind of echo effect. The notes sort of hang, and it's an approach best heard, not written about. Elsehwere, "Anything Anymore" grinds like early sides from The Jesus and Mary Chain, with Chris's voice so far in the mix that the words are almost unintelligible. The momentum in "8 or 9 Things" is appealing, with that cut standing out as a real highlight here.
Ghost Ship should find traction with fans of any of the bands that Chris has played with in the past. Brokaw's playing is distinctive enough to stand on its own, however, without any comparison being made to his past work. His style has sort of become its own thing, a sort of ruminative brand of noise rock, one which leaves plenty of space for other more melodic styles to creep through.
Ghost Ship by Chris Brokaw is out via 12XU on Friday, April 25.
[Photo: Ben Stas]