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Give Up The Ghost
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Year One
Bridge Nine Records
Release: 2/17/2004
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Rated:
Review by:
Matthew Nanes
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As Give Up The Ghost were starting under the American
Nightmare moniker, they released seven-inches and CD EPs
to accommodate their fans before they ever released their
first full-length on Equal Vision Records. These EPs foretold
great things for Give Up The Ghost's future. They played a
style of straight-ahead, brutal hardcore laced with the
melancholia of vocalist Wes Eisold's lyrics. As American
Nightmare's status rose, so did interest for these early EPs,
which quickly ran out of print. Thankfully for those who
weren't into the band from the beginning, Bridge Nine
Records re-released these EPs along with other rarities to
the joy of fans.
Starting with selections from the American
Nightmare EP, Give Up The Ghost rip through songs
that were almost too honest for hardcore at the time. The
band had songs about living a run-down life, having a
broken heart and having no hope. Hardcore bands had
begun to take that stance lyrically, but what this band is
great at (and what clearly set them apart from their
contemporaries) was making the listener believe that they
were really that miserable. When Wes Eisold's
larynx-in-a-grater vocals blast through the stereo speakers
on "Fuck What Fireworks Stand For," screaming "I just want
the world to know/You have me at an all time low," you
believed him. It helped the band played music just as
unrelenting and pissed as he was.
The second EP, The Sun Isn't Getting Brighter,
begins with "Farewell." You can tell the band had toyed with
their song-writing formula, not following the typical verse-
chorus-verse-breakdown formula hardcore is known for.
Wes' ongoing transformation as a lyricist is also noted here,
as his writing becomes more thought-out as well as more
depressed than ever - and complementary to their music at
this time. A highlight here is "There's A Black Hole In The
Shadow of The Pru," where the band is at its most chaotic
stage. This would soon be surpassed with their album
We're Down Till We're Underground, but it's
interesting to see the genesis of their sound.
A welcome gift on Year One is the cover of
"Kick Out The Jams" by the MC5 (other covers are "Dead
And Gone" by The Trouble and "It's The Limit" by Cro-Mags),
where Give Up The Ghost do a great impression of a garage
band and kick your ass while doing it. With their dirty
recordings and faster tempos, the live BBC Sessions are
where you really get to hear the band's energy in a proper
setting.
Overall, if you're looking for quality hardcore-with-substance
or you're trying to complete your Give Up The Ghost
collection, this is a great album to have. You get to hear a
band honing their brand of fast, take no prisoners hardcore
while hearing them have fun with cover songs. |
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