Proof of Ghosts

Although the intention with this band may have been to start crafting acoustic songs, that scope surely has changed, as this is vast, epic music. Bouncing around from intimate country to feedback-driven rock to plain ol’ indie rock, this band are definitely trying to hit it out of the park and, more often than not, connect. "I’m Coming Home” is an absolute charmer of an opening song, with Steve Shoe’s voice emitting the right amount of emotion to make you lean in a little closer. Contrast that simple and effective song with the massive "My Baby Don’t Come ‘Round Here Anymore,” which halfway through morphs into a fuzzy and loud post-rock throwdown before coming back via dulcet banjo tones. It’s a song that shouldn’t fit into the overall gentle folk/country picture that Proof of Ghosts are trying to paint but, with the addition of other moody rock-outs like "Sinking Men” and "Everything Is Gonna Be Allright,” it gels uncomfortably, but it gels. In the end, there is considerable awesomeness to this debut and with a debut this wide and expansive, only God knows where they’re going to go from here.