Holy Ghost! – Dynamics

Holy Ghost! Are Back

Two years after dropping their self-titled debut album, Holy Ghost! are back with their sophomore album, Dynamics, being released on DFA. The synth-pop duo consisting of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel first met in elementary school while growing up in the West Side of New York City. Together they grew into a musical super team, working with Cut Copy, MGMT and Moby before launching Holy Ghost! When their first album was released, Holy Ghost! received favorable reviews, but it was apparent that while the group had a solid base, there was plenty of room for improvement. Welp, has there been improvement? Is Dynamics worth the hard-earned coin you might lay down? Here’s some two-cents for you:

Dynamics is a just fine album. The songs are nicely arranged and the lyrics don’t make you cringe. You could dance to the jams or just have them playing as background buzz on an average night. This is all well and good, but the “just fineness” of the album is also its weak point. No passions are evoked from listening to any of the eleven tracks. There aren’t any lyrics that beg to be tattooed across your bleeding heart and its doubtful that any big, goofy car dance parties will be elicited from any of the songs…which is fine, totally. But with a band with as much promise as Holy Ghost! you want to see them deliver those things that make music wonderful and transition from a “promising band” into a “truly great band.”

Dynamics is definitely worth the listen. It’s a solid album from a promising band that may just be a victim of a culture that wants one end of the spectrum or another-– being in the middle is seen as boring rather than just a stepping stone to better. And “better” is definitely where Holy Ghost! is headed.