Album Review: Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 3

A colorful palette of varied genres

Rap, pop and alternative rock are all prominent ingredients that compose Ghost of Vroom 3. This project combines these sonic elements masterfully, with a strong emphasis on rap, specifically an old school sound, similar to other groups including A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde. While most tracks feature this spoken flow, other songs on Ghost of Vroom 3 are more sung, melodic and overall less rap heavy. This adds to the mysterious label on Ghost of Vroom, another definite reason to check them out. The group is described as a band, but also depicted as a symbiotic collection of artists. According to their website, “the band comprised of Mike Doughty and his longtime collaborator Andrew “Scrap” Livingston have once again teamed up with legendary producer Mario Caldato Jr. to create Ghost of Vroom 3.” This self written description then goes on to describe Ghost of Vroom’s sound to be “signature brand of art pop.”

This is certainly an illustrative way to describe the musical group’s genre, but once again it seems to ultimately be up to the listener to provide an identity to Ghost of Vroom. Technically speaking, this album is really easy to listen to. A combination of smoothly mixed drums, guitars, bass, samples and vocals act in harmony to produce a well thought out collection of tunes. The opening track “Pay The Man” wastes no time getting the listener started on a plethora of music creativity. Ghost of Vroom utilizes rap, singing and shouted ad libs to create a widespread platter of vocal variety. This is by far one of the group’s best qualities. It’s hard to get bored listening to this album when each minute is presented differently, whether that be lyrically or instruments selected. “As the Kid Goes For Broke” is another really interesting track on Ghost of Vroom 3, giving absolute feel-good energy through the lead instrumental melody. The chorus repeats the line “As the kid goes for broke,” in an almost Cage the Elephant manner, emotive yet laidback in its delivery.

Overall, this album is easy to listen to, fun to listen to and deep, all at the same time. There is a lot to unpack in Ghost of Vroom 3 but simultaneously the project takes no effort to indulge in. For those who have never heard of Ghost of Vroom, it is certainly worth checking their latest release out.