By Kevin (@prufesuroak)
Ghost Notes is Veruca Salt’s fifth studio album and the first done with with all the original members since their second release in 1997.
Veruca Salt has had an interesting history, three of the four original members left the band for various reasons between ‘97 and ‘98, leaving Louise Post to continue on herself. Post continued to lead the band with a cast of new members but never really cemented a new hit. The band’s announcement of a reunion in 2013 however opened up new hope for many of the fans and as well as hopes of making good music.
Post and Nina Gordon’s partnership as co-frontwomen of the band was always praised and they seem to bring out the best from each other, not that there was any competition. This is evident in the vocal styles of the two, Gordon known for the more sweet and warmer style in tandem and often contrasted with Post more howlish style.
In the opening line of the first song of the album “The Gospel According To Saint Me”, which starts with the words “I wanted to live, so I pretended to die” the band (more so, Gordon) kind of explains perhaps why she left the band in ‘97 and with it’s chorus making a statement what the Veruca Salt reunion brings.
The most grabbing thing for me in this album are the slower songs. “The Sound Of Leaving” is both gentle and but still with a bite. In “Alternica” is this sweetly sung ballad which has traces of “Earthcrosser” from Eight Arms To Hold You. “Lost To Me”, has a nice repeatedness to it and a big slap of a message.
The pop sound isn’t lost though, “Laughing In The Sugar Bowl” is perhaps the poppiest of the bunch but that’s not a bad thing; it’s got one of the catchiest hooks and choruses I’ve ever heard. “I’m Telling You Now” has the pop thing. The sweet vocals together with the bite of the guitars just work like a charm, and it’s reminiscent of the original Veruca Salt sound they had pre-split.
Ghose Notes has a lot of variety that pulls from all the past releases from the band and as well as new things. The album does fall short in some ways but you can forgive a band that hasn’t played together as a band in 18 years. It does however give us a glimpse of what more could come from the band.