Ghost Ghost

Popularized by The Beatles in 1967 with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and then mastered by its predecessors Pink Floyd, The Who and David Bowie, the concept album is one of Rock music's toughest creative quests. Many try, many fail-- only Gods prevail.

Modern bands such as The Mars Volta, Coheed and Cambria and Green Day have had success with their conceptual records, but many present day attempts fall short of their initial ambition; however, this notion was smashed by a recent BandSoup entry from a New York based indie rock band, Ghost Ghost.

The band's ten track concept album, No Clothes on Ragged Island, is based on the life of New York poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. The project was conceived by Kevin Peckham and Karl Ward on February 20, 2010 after reading Savage Beauty, a biography on Edna Millay's life. Each track is a scene from the poet's life, told in chronological order. All songs were written on February 21, just one day shy of Millay's 118th birthday. Arrangement, recording, and mixing were completed within one week.

Edna St. Vincent Millay was the first woman to receive a Pullitzer Prize for Poetry, but is better known for her unconventional, sexually promiscuous, bohemian lifestyle. Ghost Ghost's members are constantly absorbing inspiration from literature and reincarnating it into their music, but Edna's "morphine addiction, sexual trysts and tragic end—when she was discovered dead at the bottom of her stairwell—are the imagery rock music is made of."

Full of beautiful folk arrangements, haunting vocals, and picturesque poetics, No Clothes on Ragged Island is this year's best kept secret. Ghost Ghost has constructed a conceptual classic and the real travesty lies in its abandonment. Make room on your 2010 top ten list, it's almost frightening what Ghost Ghost has accomplished.

You can stream the entire No Clothes on Ragged Island by clicking here. On this site you can listen, read the lyrics and concept of each song by clicking on the song title, and of course, make a purchase. $10  for the Compact Disc Deluxe Package is an absolute steal! It includes: The CD, an immediate free digital download of all 10 songs, a free "No Clothes on Ragged Island" booklet that includes a timeline of the songs in the context of Edna St. Vincent Millay's life, as well as lyrics and guitar chords for all ten songs, a poster and more.

You can stream my personal favorite track, Bizarre Love Triangle, Here @ BandSoup.com!