Noah Gundersen is passing through an inward, studious phase; he's reading philosophy and searching for meaning, and Carry the Ghost, the Seattle-based singer-songwriter's sophomore record, is a lovely, meditative portrait of the artist as a grappling man.
The 13 songs here document Gundersen's attempt to put his conservative religious upbringing behind him. "I think God is gone / If he was ever there, anyway," he posits on "Empty from the Start." More than a few tracks on the record, such as "I Need a Woman," suggest that a good old-fashioned, irrational romance might well help him to exorcize whatever ghosts may still be haunting him.
Gundersen mixes sombre acoustic, mid-tempo guitar ballads and electric swells without compromising the sense of intimacy and restraint. Carry the Ghost is atmospheric and compelling, melancholy Americana tailor-made for uplift and hope.
(Dine Alone)The 13 songs here document Gundersen's attempt to put his conservative religious upbringing behind him. "I think God is gone / If he was ever there, anyway," he posits on "Empty from the Start." More than a few tracks on the record, such as "I Need a Woman," suggest that a good old-fashioned, irrational romance might well help him to exorcize whatever ghosts may still be haunting him.
Gundersen mixes sombre acoustic, mid-tempo guitar ballads and electric swells without compromising the sense of intimacy and restraint. Carry the Ghost is atmospheric and compelling, melancholy Americana tailor-made for uplift and hope.