Flush It Friday: Please Make A Full Sixties Pop Ghost Record Please
Look, it’s pretty clear to me that Tobias Forge is going to do whatever the fuck he wants with Ghost, as is his right as the act’s mastermind. From loudly proclaiming the project as his to a clear inclination towards an AOR-heavy pop sound that scared off many of the original metalhead fans the act obtained through Meliora and Opus Eponymous, even the devil himself would fail to sway Forge’s artistic vision. I respect and have made peace with this, even if albums like Prequelle and Impera fail to elicit a super-strong reaction from me. Truthfully, I fell off the Ghost train pretty hard after the latter record—I just wasn’t sure if Papa and his rotating lineup of Faceless Ghouls would ever catch my intrigue like they did before.
Yet, when the group dropped their second live album Rite Here, Rite Now (tied to a concert film I have not seen yet), it sort of blew me away. Suddenly, tracks like “Faith” and “Spillways” clicked with me in a way they had failed to do previously. Maybe it was that all too alluring “live energy” or a newfound appreciation of material I failed to give a fair shake, but clearly something was working in this record’s favor. On top of rekindling an interest in all things Ghost, this live release brought with it a new foray into Ghost’s more psychedelic-pop sound, “The Future is a Foreign Land.”
But, before I get ahead of myself, a bit of a primer:
Ghost, as a project tied clearly to image and theatrics, includes a focus on that “lore” shit that TikTok kids can’t seem to get enough of. As far as this most gracious Friday is concerned, Ghost’s history exists in two decades—the ’70s style music of their mainline discography, as well as a stint as a ’60s group. This newest song, which debuted with an animated music video in the feature film, fits neatly into this less explored period. “The Future is a Foreign Land” is a garage pop ballad befitting of the time period, complete with lyrical themes of love amid annihilation (playing on period-accurate fears of nuclear war) and a band presentation I can only describe as “satanic flower power.” It’s a uniquely emotional and resonant cut from the band, who are already no strangers to love songs with sinister twists.
Only two other songs attempt to depict this period for Ghost, both appearing on the Seven Inches of Satanic Panic (which has also had “The Future…” appended to it after the release of Rite Here, Rite Now). “Kiss the Go-Goat” and the TikTok smash hit “Mary On A Cross” are similarly stellar cuts, showcasing Forge’s strong sensibility for hooks and masterful pop songcraft. These three tracks also perfectly nail the ’60s pastiche while still sounding fresh and exciting.
So, can you blame me for desperately craving a full sunshine bubblegum record from Ghost? It’s a clearly successful channeling of what makes the group so catchy and appealing, while also being a style that the brainrot zoomers (such as myself) yearn for. So, mister Tobias Forge, would you do a ghoul a solid and get us a full 12 inches of psychedelic Satanism? I am not going to get my hopes up.
One thing you should get your hopes up for is our weekly roundup! If not, go fuck yourself I guess, IDK.
I know if no one got me, TMP and TTT got me.
Aaron covered The Lord Weird Slough Feg going back to the Traveller mines:
Review: The Lord Weird Slough Feg – Traveller Supplement I: The Ephemeral Glades
Tuning in t0 Toilet Radio will also illicit memories of the past for all the decrepit corpses in the audience:
Falxifer took a Ghost Bath. The verdict? Record is pretty clean:
IGoM with the itty bitty BCF ditties:
Thanks for reading my impassioned and pointless plea. Drop your G/B/Us below if you fuckin’ dare…
