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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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People Noise
Ordinary Ghosts
S/R
You have to wonder about an album described in the press blurb as “a dynamic of textures and color.” Are you mistakenly reading an art review? What does that even sound like? You might think it would be danceable and upbeat, given that the melody is provided by Zeke Buck, one of the founding members of VHS or Beta, a band that’s good to listen to when you’re getting ready for a wild night out. People Noise is not that band—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While their debut album, Ordinary Ghosts, does not hit you right away, its combination of wailing guitars alongside Buck’s powerful voice, makes it worth a listen. With such a dark sound, one expects lyrics about death and the bleakness of life, and the band gives you just that, with songs like “The Killing Fields” and the driving, Placebo-like “The Nothing Place (Mantra).” The intense “Sedation” and “The Sun & The Moon, The Moon & The Sun” sound like they belong in a Dario Argento horror film, with their screaming 80’s hair band guitar solos. Buck sings in a style alternating between an acoustic singer-songwriter’s soft, down-to-earth voice and the harsher, edgier vocals of a hard rock singer. His voice is even beautiful at times, particularly in songs such as the unexpectedly sweet “Ordinary Ghosts” and the melodic “Older,” which ends the album. You might say this album sounds like a lot of alternative rock albums out there, but People Noise’s passion makes it stand out—even without the funkiness of VHS or Beta.
--Jessica Simons
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