Ghost Away - We Didn't Ask For This

Philadelphia, PA's own Ghost Away have released their brand new album titled We Didn't Ask For This. The indie-leaning project from Brian Medlin (of Person L and Brian Medlin & The Elk Band fame),  who has crafted another sonically pleasing effort that allows the immensely prolific singer-songwriter to think creatively outside of the box and allows us to delve even deeper into that said creative persona.

We start things off with "I Got Tired" a distorted, experimental rocker that joins Brian with Eric Haag, who contributes a great deal to their sound and allows them to stand out prominently on the record right from the get go. "Witch Hunt" features more of the same jumbled guitar riffs and Brian's vocals adding a distinct, harmonic layer to the sound that gives the album a lo-fi, garage rock feel as you move along to the rest of the album. "Gone Are The Days" combines Brian and Eric's immense talents into a free for all where they show that they are a formidable presence on this record and beyond. "Molecules To You" features a dazzling electric guitar riff that sees the duo continuing to put us on our toes with an clever and inventive twist that keeps us guessing as we head into the second half of the disc.

And the second half starts with my favorite track off the album, "Woods". This song is one of the most complete tracks on the album, and brings together an assortment of various instrumentation including a neat drum percussion beat and a solid, melodic guitar arrangement that shows the result of what happens when two creative ideals are combined in one to create an all around, sonically pleasing track. "Broken Money" ushers in the beginning of the end of the album with a downtempo, mellow affair that features lightly tuned instrumentation and an intricate percussion arrangement that shows another side of the duo that we haven't had the opportunity to discover yet on the effort, but is a welcome change from all the musical twists and turns we've uncovered so far. The disc draws to a close on "Another Man's Song", a track that has an encapsulated feel in the sense that all of the musical influences are felt in this one track from earlier in the album, and gives us an condensed overview as well of what we've listened to and how the songs correlate with one another. I've been a big admirer of Brian Medlin's work from way back in Person L (coincidentally, their album "The Positives" was the very first album review and blog post right here on MusicBoxPete), and his assorted side projects including Wives, The Minor Times, Inkling, and his recent foray with The Elk Band continually express his intense musical desire and his immensely talented and creative persona, and while his multiple side projects might confuse some people, it shows that he loves to keep busy with regards to all things music and doesn't show any signs of slowing down just yet.

Wrapping it all up, a highly ambitious and creative effort from Ghost Away, which continues the musical odyssey of Brian Medlin, and continues to bolster his musical resume with another cohesive and innovative effort that shows you just how talented and prolific he truly is.

                                                                                                                              Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. I Got Tired
2. Witch Hunt
3. Baby Brother
4. Gone Are The Days
5. Molecules To You
6. Lies
7. Woods
8. No Reminder
9. Broken Money
10. Another Man's Song