Ghost – Popestar

Alright folks, with the Trews series wrapped up today, it’s time for a new series! Woot! This one will be focussing on some new (or fairly recently new) releases that I have had the good fortune to add to my collection!

I don’t (usually) buy a lot of new music. The bulk of what I bring home comes from used music shops. And that’s cool, because I am a bargain hunter and I prefer to pay $1 for an LP used instead of $40 for its fancy-pants reissue at the HMV. But I’ve managed to come up with a weeks’-worth of new stuff that I can cover in these pages, so let’s get down to it!

The New Hotness Series, Part 1: Ghost – Popestar (EP)

I actually came across this in the new release racks at our local shite HMV just last night. Hot off the presses, folks!

Square Hammer is the only new song, here. If you’ve heard them before, it’s fairly typical Ghost. It’s heavy, but there’s a lighter, 80s edge to it. There’s even piano stabs! The chorus pay-off makes the rest of it worth it, but it wouldn’t be a track I’d play all the time.

The original Nocturnal Me (Echo and the Bunnymen) was not a song I knew. I played it on the tubes of you (apparently it was also on a TV show called Stranger Things, but I don’t know anything about that show). Anyway, it’s a cool tune, and Ghost does a bang-up job on it. It’s not all that different from the original, actually.

I Believe (Simian Mobile Disco) is another song I didn’t know, or the band either. I mean, Simian Mobile Disco? Um, sure. And there’s the reason why – the original is an electronic dance track, not usually in my radar. It’s a laidback beat, the vocals are good, but it wouldn’t be my choice usually. Ghost’s version turns it into a church choir-feel verson, without the drum machines. I prefer this version by far.

Missionary Man (Eurythmics) is one we all know, and we all know that the Eurythmics’ version kicks ass. Ghost’s version pulls a Marilyn Manson Sweet Dreams on it, bigger guitars and metal leanings. This tune is perfect for them, though. Highlight track on the EP.

Bible (Imperiet) was another I’d never heard before, but the original builds into quite a powerful, thoughtful tune. I liked it. Ghost’s version plays it close to the original, just with bigger sound. It’s epic. Cool.

In Sum:

The covers were more interesting than the original tune. Good on them for choosing lesser known tracks, by and large. If you’re a fan of the band, you’re going to want this EP.

One Note To Be Made:

I found the $9.99 sticker price too high, for a 5-song EP. The recent Prophets Of Rage EP was $6.99, and the difference of those $3 stands out, to me. At $6.99, you feel like you are buying an EP. At $9.99, it feels like you oughta be getting a full album, ya know?