By: Ben Salvo
Rating: 9/11

Every fantasy role playing game that came out for the Super Nintendo back in the nineties had the same premise: An oppressive force steals or hides all the magic in the entire world and uses it to, well, oppress the entire world. One fateful day, the planets align and a ‘chosen’ warrior (or band of warriors) sets foot on an epic journey to reclaim the magic, level by level, and, eventually, save the world. No matter what the differentiating details might have been, it was most important that the warriors were ‘special,’ thus fulfilling some prophecy the elf sages or dragon wizards or talking pools of water had foreseen. This must have been what it was like when Tim Ireland, Kevin Peckham and Karl Ward first formed Ghost Ghost back in January 2008.

Now, I admit, that’s a long, drawn out, geek-speak way of saying, "These guys are a spectacular combination of artists," but it’s appropriate. There’s an intelligence woven into their latest EP, Time Is Gravity (self-released, 2008), that works on every level and speaks clearly to an audience long bored by repetitive pop songs and jock rockers with emo-haircuts. Not that they should be considered geek rock. Ghost Ghost are a far cry from being stuffed in lockers, but their ability to correctly and melodiously reference Stephen Hawking, Orwell’s 1984 and the human olfactory system earns them some scholarly brownie points.

The album opens with “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” a heady grunge tune that drives itself into an unexpectedly deserved bass guitar and drum ‘walk’ that’s definitely not filler. Ireland’s drums burn up every track on the EP with unavoidable, pounding rhythms, keeping the dreamy poetry moving along at true rock-and-roll pace. In “Unreal City,” guitarist Ward takes the reins, introducing his unique vocal ability in a groovy, cyclical mini-anthem, paying tribute to Bohemia whole-heartedly. Peckham’s lyrical capabilities are exposed most ruthlessly in the deeply personal “Forest Fires,” which makes use of more metaphor than the rest of the album combined. The title track, “Time is Gravity,” shines in a brilliant display of all three musicians’ musical dexterity, and, in closing, “Cadmium Red” is a new take on the she-devil song that delivers a thrilling three-part harmony.

Ultimately, Ghost Ghost truly understands their audience. They keep an up-to-date blog (www.ghostghost.net) and a simple MySpace page, both of which have links to all the tracks from Time Is Gravity. They were recently bouncing around New England, staying extremely busy according to their blog, and made their triumphant return to NYC on May 4 at the Life Café. Check out one of their many local gigs in the next few weeks, including May 14th at Trash Bar or the 20th at Fontana’s.