Ghostbeat

Water (Bullsitter)
by Scott Hefflon

Nominated Best Florida Pop Band in 1996, Ghostbeat provides singable melodies spanning a wide range of styles. While the moody acoustic numbers are intriguing and complex, the novelty of untraditional percussion instruments fails to carry the tune anywhere memorable. In contrast, the happier Ben Folds Five/Squeeze-influenced pop songs are brimming with giddy energy, clever, all-over-the-map melodies, and Jellyfish/Beatlesque harmonies with an occasional squirt of lemon in yer eye to keep you on your toes. Each song, and the flow from song to song, is broken by the musical equivalent of a quiet, odd-smelling fart in a comfortably formal setting. Parts of this CD are easily recognizable and instantly likable, but it’s the “Was that the sound of a silverware drawer being opened, in harmony?” elements that make Water a disc to digest slowly. If Ghostbeat stick to off-beat pop and can the funk noodlings, dreary soundscaping, and straight-from-a-cheap-amp guitar sound, they may emerge as top-notch “quirky” pop band. The unmarked bonus tracks provide additional snippets, much like They Might Be Giants’ “Fingertips,” and show Ghostbeat to be a wildly creative band with a bright future. This is the playful goose pop music desperately needs.