Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes

Veruca Salt
Ghost Notes
2015

There is often the idea when a band reunites after many many years apart (It was 1998 the original lineup of Veruca Salt recorded anything) that it is either a money grab or some last ditch effort at nostalgia. Ghost Notes is neither. This album picks up right where the band left off on Eight Arms to Hold You. The aggression, the power, the fullness is all right there in this album and isn't the trappings of a band over the hill, instead it is a band that is still very vibrant, very alive. Their reunion despite what happened in the studio comes across as effortless. There is not a forced note on this record, everything from the vocals to the heavily distorted guitars comes from a very original very organic place. "Black and Blonde" sums up their head banging fist pumping style, it's aggression with a pinch of sugar to make it go down smooth. Veruca Salt show their is a a way to rage against the machine but still make your music sound beautiful. Ghost Notes could have gone the Lo-Fi Indie route in it's production, but smartly they bucked that trend and allowed the music to speak for itself rather than put it through an odd mix. "Prince of Wales" is a straight forward rock track with a driving bass interlude that powers the album almost throughout.

At times it seems that the record can descend into normal rock tropes, but the underlying feeling of celebration, the joy of reunion, allow that to never get to far out of control. The power in their song writing and a lack of giving a shit what expectations may be out there for them make for a great sense of freedom throughout the record. The usual angst you would get on a rock album like this is not there anymore. It may be their age, their experience or both, but that angst is never missed. Instead you are hearing real people dealing with the real shit in their lives minus an attempt to recapture former glory. As the album progresses the songs can begin to blend together a bit, they sound quite similar in style and it does make the 14 track record feel a bit longer. Some editing on the length and scope may have helped here to refine the record and make it a much sharper, shorter thing. This doesn't take away from the songs individually, but it does hurt the album as a whole. In the end Veruca Salt have done something great here. Over 15 years apart and they are able to pick up and rock like the time that passed was essential for this album to exist. Listen to Ghost Notes, you certainly will not regret it. 

8.5 out of 10