Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ghostbird

While it relies on electronic looping for accentuation, Ghostbird’s debut album is a worthy listen. The first track, “Toy Soldier,” is not the most attention-grabbing, but the second song, “Night Kills Day,” is more what an opener ought to be. The instrumentation here — and overall — is well-composed, blending light synths with rhythm guitar and steady drums that are featured in surprising solos.

The vocals can be tepid, verging on bubblegum production at times. Whatever distortion effect has been used to obscure the voice is unnecessary and distracting. At their best, Hancock and Cooper are alternately ethereal and driving; at their worst, droning.

The lyrics, too, are bumpy. “Used to be so bright, now it’s cold as morning light” is one example from “We’re OK,” a track on which the words are more distinguishable. The song, which is dark and haunting, is well put together, but the mediocre rhyme doesn’t do it justice.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The songs have similar arrangements and tend to blend one into the other. But there is a standout — the peppy “Caroline,” which is up-tempo jazz-pop, complete with an impressive piano solo. The song showcases the singer’s voice at its best and serves as a departure from the rest of the album’s electronically accented Postal Service affect. Though the track seems out of place, it is pleasantly so.

Ghostbird are obviously reaching for that “indie-pop” sound; whether or not they get there is up to the listener.

Album: Ghostbird (2009)
Artist: Ghostbird
Label: self-released
Where available/price: iTunes, $6.93; ghostbird.com, $8
Songs: 1) Toy Soldier 2) Night Kills Day 3) Sing 4) Caroline 5) We’re OK 6) The Drug 7) Toy Soldier (video version)
Band: Trent Hancock (vocals), Mike Cooper (drums)
Website: myspace.com/ghostbirdmusic

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)

While it relies on electronic looping for accentuation, Ghostbird’s debut album is a worthy listen. The first track, “Toy Soldier,” is not the most attention-grabbing, but the second song, “Night Kills Day,” is more what an opener ought to be. The instrumentation here — and overall — is well-composed, blending light synths with rhythm guitar and steady drums that are featured in surprising solos.

The vocals can be tepid, verging on bubblegum production at times. Whatever distortion effect has been used to obscure the voice is unnecessary and distracting. At their best, Hancock and Cooper are alternately ethereal and driving; at their worst, droning.

The lyrics, too, are bumpy. “Used to be so bright, now it’s cold as morning light” is one example from “We’re OK,” a track on which the words are more distinguishable. The song, which is dark and haunting, is well put together, but the mediocre rhyme doesn’t do it justice.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The songs have similar arrangements and tend to blend one into the other. But there is a standout — the peppy “Caroline,” which is up-tempo jazz-pop, complete with an impressive piano solo. The song showcases the singer’s voice at its best and serves as a departure from the rest of the album’s electronically accented Postal Service affect. Though the track seems out of place, it is pleasantly so.

Ghostbird are obviously reaching for that “indie-pop” sound; whether or not they get there is up to the listener.

Album: Ghostbird (2009)
Artist: Ghostbird
Label: self-released
Where available/price: iTunes, $6.93; ghostbird.com, $8
Songs: 1) Toy Soldier 2) Night Kills Day 3) Sing 4) Caroline 5) We’re OK 6) The Drug 7) Toy Soldier (video version)
Band: Trent Hancock (vocals), Mike Cooper (drums)
Website: myspace.com/ghostbirdmusic

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
Next Article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.