Little Ghost – The Golden Hour

Little Ghost – The Golden Hour – EP Review

Something gentle this way comes…

There are some names in this music scene we share that you can be confident aren’t about to switch things up to Metal anytime soon, and for as long as I’ve been listening to Little Ghost, that’s continually remained the case.  Which is something like, over five years at this point…I started listening to this brilliantly quaint project back in the spring of 2019, and to be completely truthful, I’ve never stopped!  In fact, there is documented proof here somewhere on this site of ours in the dust of the archives of the SBS Podcast and the SBS Secret Stash Of Stellar Singles that I’ve even listened to more Little Ghost than I’ve actually written about – and if you really wanna know how to measure whether or not I’m a fan of your music folks, I’m sure continued listening is about the best metrics there could be.  I’m a fan of this dude’s music, and I highly suspect that I always will be.

So believe me when I tell ya, it was no surprise to me that when “In The Seat Next To Mine” started up that I liked what I found at the start of The Golden Hour EP.  A song that encapsulates that feeling of just wanting to get up and go, with someone special in the seat beside ya as you leave the daily grind and all that comes with it in the rearview mirror, the carefree, no worries attitude of “In The Seat Next To Mine” will certainly appeal to all the dreamers out there.  Those of us that know the freedom of the road beneath our tires as we roll on to better things, without thinking about when, or if, we’re coming back to what we’re leaving behind.  It’s a pretty song y’all, straight up.  It’s the audible equivalent of looking out the window and appreciating the beauty and splendor around you on the brightest of sunny days…that’s what “In The Seat Next To Mine” sounds like to me…it sounds like hope…promise…and the infinite potential of what can be accomplished in an unwritten of chapter of life that’s just beginning.  Conceptually, it’s a genuinely gorgeous tune on all fronts.  Performance-wise, I think you get something truly special outta Little Ghost here too.  Production-wise, I kept trying to figure out what the heck my hang-ups were in this track and why I had any at all.  Like, I love the ingredients that are included in this track from the stunning beauty of the backing vocals, to the delicate rumble of the snare being played continuously – these are essential elements of “In The Seat Next To Mine,” which is even more impressive when you consider the fact this dude’s bread and butter is built around the sincerity of his golden vocals and guitar work combined.  My guess…and that’s all it is, a guess, after a TON of spins through this tune…is that the same aspect of the snare I love included in this track also creates a slight sandpaper like effect on the texture of what we hear too, which seems to be more present as you start to listen.  It might be something I willingly tune out from there, I’m not sure…but I also suppose a track like this thrives at its best when it reaches those moments of undeniable clarity.  As it stands though, there ain’t a thing that’ll stop me from listening to “In The Seat Next To Mine” – it’s a wonderful song.

To bolster the case I’ve made though, listen to the astonishing clarity in what you’ll hear on “We Can Feel Young” for comparison, and you’ll know what I’ve been getting at.  The sparkling clear & clean sound of this second tune is a complete testament to how much this kind of vibe suits the sound of Little Ghost, and the closer that he can get to it each time he pushes record, the better off his music is likely going to be when it comes to reaching the many ears that it should.  I’m continually blown away by the remarkable degree of accessibility you’ll find in Little Ghost’s music – if you can listen to the main chorus hooks of this song and somehow escape them, I assure you that you’re built of much stronger stuff than I am.  As to whether or not that would benefit you in the long run of life…I don’t think there’s much debate.  I’d always rather be able to be ensnared by the genius of great songwriting than not – so too bad for you if you’re not catching a ride on Little Ghost’s bandwagon…you’re absolutely missing out.  “We Can Feel Young” is such a special tune…when he sings “Oh leave your light on and I’ll show up” – c’mon y’all…even the hardest of hearts is gonna melt like butter there – that’s an irresistibly beautiful moment in music.  In my personal opinion, “We Can Feel Young” is speaking on a powerfully moving concept that many of us share in common…it’s the feeling that you get when you look at a photograph of yourself from long ago when you first fell in love with someone, and yet still feel like you’re the exact same people years later – because “our hearts can still feel like when we were young.”  It’s the concept of how true love never gets old I suppose…and Little Ghost has detailed it perfectly in this song.  I am LOVING the way the backing elements are supporting the songs on this record…from the extra vocals you’ll hear, to the…hmm…probably cello in the mix as well…it becomes a sensational collage of musical sincerity that surrounds the incredibly heartfelt lead of Little Ghost that remains entirely enchanting.

There are points within just about any Little Ghost song that I can think of that’ll make the experience of listening worthwhile for pretty much all of us out there.  Do I have my favorites in the catalog, like anyone would?  Of course!  I might be a music critic, but I still listen to music like the rest of you do.  In my world, sure, I might tell ya that I personally respond to tunes like “In The Seat Next To Mine” and “We Can Feel Young” more than I probably did to “Til I Return” – but that’s largely based on my own taste and what appeals to me.  What’s most important is that Little Ghost never phones it in or lets you down when it comes to the performances you’ll hear…listen to “Til I Return” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.  This song probably comes in third outta the first three songs for me, but it’s in a dead heat with the rest of the set when it comes to the strength of the performance and the tightness of the writing, you following me?  And don’t get my words twisted y’all – do I basically love this song too?  Yup!  I dig just about everything that Little Ghost has ever done, and for plenty of good reasons, many of which I’ve already highlighted that continue to apply to this track as well…the spellbinding way the backing vocals add to these songs is nothing short of amazing…and whatever it is that is being used from the string section – I think it’s a violin on this tune – they’ve played a significant role in bringing out the character in Little Ghost’s songs.  I think when it comes to “Til I Return” it’s likely just a case of the chorus outshining the verses by a much larger margin than we’ve experienced so far on this record, and hey man, that happens sometimes!  Ain’t nothing wrong with having a kickass chorus, trust me on that – that’s the sweet spot where we’re all hoping to find the kind of incredible hooks we’ll never forget, and Little Ghost has always got that part completely locked down tight and continually exceeds any possible expectations.  “Til I Return” adheres to that high standard in that regard, and delivers one of the EP’s most sweet & memorable moments when it comes to the allure, hook, and pull of the chorus you’ll find.

Almost every record you’ll ever listen to has the songs you’ll feel could be singles, and the deep cuts that bring something important to a set-list, even though they might not stand out as much by comparison or be as catchy as the tracks you instantly love.  As Little Ghost ends The Golden Hour with “Leave Me,” I think most folks will probably recognize this as one of the deep cuts in that scenario, and over time, they’ll come around to appreciate how immensely crucial this song is to this audible set of memories recorded.  Where you started out with finding the right person to sit “In The Seat Next To Mine,” you end up with the situation coming around full circle as you listen to Little Ghost sing “I just want this burden to leave me” in reference to how those we’ve loved can pop up back into our minds too often without permission while we’re doing our best to forget or move on.  And while I think the reality is that those of us who have seen the devastation caused by Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and likely came to the conclusion that forgetting comes along with its own excruciating emotions and probably isn’t the best pathway forward after all, there’s still no doubt that the random way we remember the past through our sensory memories, can also be extremely painful too.  “Leave Me” felt like it was about that aspect of unpredictability in the aftermath of love past…how we can’t control when we end up thinking about someone, and how it can feel like we’ve been stabbed right in the gut when we do.  Of course, it’s Little Ghost, so it’s all presented in this exquisitely beautiful and delicate sound, but make no mistake y’all…this dude has an extraordinarily vivid way of writing songs that you can feel.  So consider yourselves warned…no matter how innocent the sound might seem to appear, it’s tracks like “Leave Me” that reveal how potent the songwriting of Little Ghost can become at any time.  Proceed with caution y’all…”Leave Me” is bound to trigger more than a few post-breakup emotions from many of ya – or have you reliving some of your own highlights from the life you’ve lived and those you’ve loved – and just like Little Ghost so cleverly details in this last song, the bittersweet feelings that come with those memories can haunt you for years and years in both the best, and worst, ways you could ever imagine.

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