I Am Ghost

Now that AFI and My Chemical Romance have made it impossible for any band that dons black and plays anything resembling Goth punk or metal to be taken seriously, it’s incredible that I was able to make it all the way through the debut full-length from this dual-gendered, culturally-diverse Long Beach six-piece ensemble without cringing. The members of this California collective must surely be aware that they are wading into treacherous and hilariously over-earnest dark waters, but that’s done nothing to dim their enthusiasm. Perhaps because they refuse to play nice and go to extremes to give their sound a more epic feel with the inclusion of strings and keyboards, I want to cut them some slack. But frankly their delivery and musicianship is solid and tight even if the presentation is hackneyed and the production of this record a little too slick for its own good. A talented band despite an all too familiar fashion statement.