Roam Like Ghosts – Church
Roam Like Ghosts – Church – Album Review
So much can change in a short amount of time I tell ya. It wasn’t too long ago that we last heard from Roam Like Ghosts…somewhere back in 2021 when we were reviewing their previous album, called …To That Place You Call Home – but way back then, they were still a two-piece band. Oh how times have changed…they’ve expanded their lineup to three pieces here for their brand-new 2024 album, Church. Plus a whole bunch of featured guest stars helpin’ them out as well…you get it. Bottom line is, the duo of Matthew Daugherty (Vocals) & Bucky Fairfax (Guitars) were already good before, so adding in Bobby DeRosa on the bass and a bunch more friends can’t be a bad thing, right? I’m looking forward to hearing what Roam Like Ghosts has been up to, so let’s all push play on Church & find out what we’ve got here.
Great energy and BIG vocals on the opening track “Death And Me.” It’s tight stuff when it comes right down to it…not all that far removed from something you’d find smack dab in the middle of sounds you love in The Black Crowes and Soul Asylum…somewhere in between all that. It doesn’t start out that way in the immediate intro, but you’ll hear what I’m talkin’ about as it kicks into gear. You get that Rock/Country type of style & sound as they open things up, and though I tend to resist that combination usually, I gotta admit, I dig what I hear in this tune. It’s one of those things you know? I’m a firm believer that the more YOU commit to YOUR material, and the more YOU own the moment, the more likely WE are to climb aboard your bandwagon, no matter what we normally listen to. “Death And Me” is like, a stone’s throw away from being a cousin to some tune from G&R if you’re looking at it on paper or examining its DNA…but thankfully, it doesn’t really sound too much like that at all. It’s got that whole like, southern thang to it…I guess that’s what I’m getting at…and it’s got a bit of that showmanship element to it that flexes a bit more flash & flair than I tend to naturally gravitate towards, but they play this song so convincingly that it’s not only well worth listening to, but it’ll bring you back for another round as well. The real bottom line is, starting an album with energy like this is always a good thing.
As far as “Hasta Luego” is concerned, they instantly shift the sound of their record to a whole different vibe, but it’s so freakin’ smooth that I’m fully confident the listeners out there will come along with’em. It’s fair to say I like just about everything here – “Hasta Luego” has got a really solid hook, excellent instrumentation, and overall, it’s a really clever & unique tune. Lyrically…I’m probably neither here nor there with it…that’d be the place I would cite as a potential opportunity for growth in Roam Like Ghosts, but we’re not talking about anything too detrimental or harmful to how much this track will appeal to ya. Sound-wise, we’re like, entering into Santana-esque terrain here…you’d almost expect Roam Like Ghosts to start singing “Oye Como Va” for a second or two, but they wisely choose to do their own thang instead. Love the sound of the Hammond underneath the surface of this tune played by Chad Berger, and the stellar contributions from Alex Fioto on the trumpet make this track one of the most unique in the lineup. All-in-all, sure I might feel this way or that way about the lyrics I guess, but so what? Sometimes the right sound will easily get ya around any complications with how you feel about any one aspect of a song, be it an instrument, some vocals, or some lyrics…and when it comes right down to it, “Hasta Luego” is a highly reliable cut on this record that I’m positive people will really dig.
Good lord…”The Weight” is…jeez…accurate? Relatable – how about that? I feel like a lot of people out there will appreciate where Roam Like Ghosts is coming from with this song, which is more or less about how the daily grind can be too much for us. No lies detected here – as far as I can tell, that’s pretty damn true, and once again, highly relatable. Whether it’s for a moment, a day, or years, chances are, you’ve probably felt “The Weight” yourself at some point in time. Lyrically, I felt like this put the ship right back on course and was really strong…but suffice it to say, that’s a solid description of this entire track from top to bottom. They actually remind me a bit of the vibe you get in earlier Better Than Ezra albums on this cut, and a few others throughout Church to follow as well. If we’re talkin’ about complete tunes from start to finish though, “The Weight” would absolutely be right up there with my favorites from this album…nothing has been overlooked, and they’ve got a really bulletproof tune here. Love the pace, love the guitars, love the words & vocals…it’s got a genuinely mesmerizing performance.
“Futures” had that instant feeling of hearing a possible single right from the get go. Did I feel that it ended up being a good candidate for that position after having heard the whole track? I’ll put it to ya this way…if they felt inclined to put it out there as a gateway into this record, I don’t think it’d be a bad thing at the end of the day…it’d be a strong representation of the band and of their album. As to whether or not it’s a typical single…I suppose that’s more up for debate – but it’s not all that far off what we associate as the definition, and there are certainly great hooks in the mix here that would qualify. I guess it’s fair to say that they keep’em stocked in reserve “for the right time” at the very end of this tune in the finale, but I was highly pleased to find it wasn’t just a one & done scenario – we get to spend a significant amount of time with the main hooks in “Futures” once they’re finally revealed to us. You’ll get a few minor hooks to enjoy in the meantime, don’t get me wrong – but if you’ve got at least one or two functional ears attached to your face, you’ll know what I mean in saying the best ones in this song are found towards the end. Real highlights for Matthew on this tune, and I felt like this was a verifiable standout for Bobby on the bass as well…lots of great things to be found in “Futures” that speak strongly on behalf of this band. Chad also plays an excellent role on this track with his piano playing here too. Definitely a solid chance that this track will be one of the most universally loved by one & all on Church.
These dudes have always seemed like good people, you know what I mean? I feel like a track like “Not Giving Up On You” says a lot about the folks behind the music, because you simply don’t write from an angle like this, or with the sentiment you’ll find in this song, unless it’s something you really feel. Honestly, it’s that simple. It’s funny, because you’ll find artists/bands obviously write about everything under the sun, and yes, some of it IS fictional…but from my experience, you’ll never find a dickhead writing about being a good person trying to help other people – it just doesn’t happen. They might write about haunted mansions or motorcars or a whole variety of other things, but crappy people don’t just try to put on a superhero cape when writing a song – they really don’t have the perspective required to pull it off. Bucky’s such a naturally gifted guitar player…obviously he’s got a tremendous amount of refined skills too, but the organic instincts and feel that he plays with is always so noticeable. Anyhow – I feel like I like the sentiment behind “Not Giving Up On You” perhaps more than anything else. I dig the song, but it’s the message in the lyricism of this tune that seems to hit home the hardest, and I think a bunch of folks listening will really appreciate what they have to say on this song. They’ve got this whole like…Train-like gear to their sound…it’s not a bad thing by any means, and it’s a suit that the band wears really well…just thought I’d point it out I guess. You hear it more on the surface in a track like “Not Giving Up On You” I suppose…but yeah…I’d imagine most people will enjoy that aspect.
There we go! Loving the opening riff & energy on “Casual Conversations About Serious Situations,” and obviously this song wins the award for best title on the album too. I was trying to figure out who else that Roam Like Ghosts reminded me of throughout many of the tunes on this record before, because it’s more of an understated influence on the sound than something way too direct – but this track helped me figure it out…it’s actually early R.E.M.. That’s always going to be A-okay with yours truly here, I’m just surprised I didn’t pick up on it earlier given the fact that’s my favorite band of all-time, you know? “Casual Conversations About Serious Situations” is a freakin’ fantastic tune though, no matter who you might feel it’s comparable to, if anyone at all. It’d definitely be the best candidate to be a single from the album from what I can hear on this side of the speakers. Anyhow…yeah…it’s like, somewhere in between the vibe you’d get from an album like Green by R.E.M. and the stomp you’d get from early Tragically Hip records too. In any event, you can count me in by any measure or metrics you wanna examine this track from – “Casual Conversations About Serious Situations” has it goin’ on, and you’ll find everything is in the right place. They leave you wanting for nothing more than what you get with this one, 100%.
“Blame Game” makes an interesting impression and impact right away, through some of the more delicate means to be found on this album. Excellent drums from Bill Eagin on this tune – he’s got great ideas on how to approach this song and executes like a true professional. He’s been steady as she goes throughout this lineup, don’t get me wrong, but yeah…I feel like “Blame Game” gave Bill the opportunity to find a bit more uniqueness in what he’s brought to Church from the throne…loved what he does on this tune. I also thought this was one of the stronger cuts for Matthew’s vocals as well…good versatility in what he’s singing sound-wise, and solid melody that can be relied on. Quality tune all around really. One of the most impressive aspects of Church is really how versatile the entire lineup is, and “Blame Game” speaks strongly about the record in that regard. I think we can all hear that Roam Like Ghosts kinda has their thing…you’ll notice a fairly similar thread in the vibe of say like, half this set of songs I guess…but at the same time, that leaves the other half to venture out further towards the fringes of their sound as well, and they find great success whenever they seem to do that. “Blame Game” is by far one of the most unique tracks in the lineup, and ultimately, it’s a sincerely captivating cut that I feel like will have no problem convincing listeners out there that it’s one of the album’s truly understated gems. A track like “Blame Game” isn’t gonna punch you in the face to get your attention…it earns it through quality songwriting, precision & intent at the heart of their performance, and commendable execution.
There are enough moments of redemption in “So Hard To Say Goodbye” that I felt like I could overlook the things I wasn’t as confident about. Objectively, it’s the first track on the album where I wondered a bit about its inclusion…which to be fair to the band, is actually a solid achievement given the fact that this cut appears at number eight in the lineup. As I’ve pointed out countless times on these pages of ours, every record has an ebb & flow to it, every set-list has its ups & downs. “So Hard To Say Goodbye” has plenty of redeeming qualities to it…there are great highlights to be found in how Matthew sings it, and significant contributions from Chad who’s rockin’ the Hammond & piano for ya throughout this song as well. I’ll fully admit that there’s a little less here for me on a personal level than I’ve found in the vast majority of this lineup of songs, but I still felt like they kinda got the most out of what they had here too. I think for me, “So Hard To Say Goodbye” is just a bit more ‘normal’ than so many of the others, and that normalcy is a lot more pronounced in coming directly after one of the album’s most innovative tunes. But yeah…thematically, sound-wise, lyricially…”So Hard To Say Goodbye” is the kind of track that stands way too great a chance of drowning in the sea of sameness, despite the quality of their performance, in my opinion. Ain’t saying it doesn’t have some appeal to it…it does, but I’m not sure there’s enough to it.
The question is, did the last track start to indicate the well was beginning to run dry? I have always said that we all gotta write about something…it’s just that what’s worth writing about to someone is often a whole lot different than it would be to someone else, you feel me? So…you know…take it with a grain of salt when I say that I probably wouldn’t have written a song about “Thumbelina,” but maybe that’s just me! If you’re like, man, I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to finally write about “Thumbelina” then I have FANTASTIC NEWS for you – this is YOUR moment! Look…all kidding aside…there are pieces of this song that I like – but it’s similar to how I like some songs from albums by Live that were outside of Throwing Copper, you know what I mean? Like…I like them…but they’re kind of the same thing, only not quite as strong, and a little watered down. I felt the same way about tracks in the later stages of albums by Better Than Ezra too, which is another band I love, but you’d feel them stretch the material a bit thin as you went from the start to finish of any given album. “Thumbelina” has a lot of interesting ideas and uniqueness to it when compared to the rest of this lineup for sure, but overall, I dunno…I guess I’m not fully convinced it was the right thing to choose subject-wise in terms of resonating with the people out there listening. Do I think that changing “Thumbelina” into something else would have been an easy switch that could potentially increase the interest it’s capable of generating with the average everyday listener out there? That’s a definite yes from me. I really like the violin from Julia Savavici on this track, but to be truthful, a lot of the music is set pretty far back from where the vocals are set up front, not just on this track but on most…and if anything, I’d probably take a look at that if I was Roam Like Ghosts. Matthew’s got a strong voice – it’s always going to be heard – so bringing the music up around him could definitely benefit the songs overall and make everything sound a bit bigger and more dynamic. When you’ve got exceptional stuff like what Julia’s adding to a track like “Thumbelina” or what Chad has been bringing to the album earlier on, you wanna make sure that stuff is getting heard as much as it should be, otherwise why bring’em into the fold at all, know what I mean? A dedicated listen will always reveal the depth to be found in music like this, but instead of risking that, make it easier on the listeners.
“Somnumbra Atra” is genius, full-stop. I’d listen to tracks like this all day long if people let me! They take this last track instrumental, but they produce a significant highlight all the same. Amazing guitars from Mr. Fairfax…and though I don’t know where all the rest of the awesomeness comes from – possibly Jim Roberts, at least in-part, who climbs aboard to lend his time & talents to the percussion, but it feels like there’s still a bit more goin’ on here in this last track outside of that too. Can’t find it in the credits, but you’ll just have to take my word for it I suppose…whatever it is, wherever it comes from, I’m all in favor of everything I hear on “Somnumbra Atra” – it’s an exceptional tune and a great inclusion in the lineup of Church that was a genuinely unexpected surprise. I also think that, in regards to what I was saying earlier about how the music could use a more level playing field in relation to the vocals, that at least the instrumentation gets one back here…you can really appreciate the marvellous musicianship of Roam Like Ghosts on a track like “Somnumbra Atra” at the end – I absolutely loved the conclusion of this record & would definitely look forward to hearing them do more of this kinda stuff any ol’ time. Overall, Church is a really solid album from start to finish – it’s awesome to have Roam Like Ghosts back in action & sounding this great.
Find out more about Roam Like Ghosts from their official website at: http://www.roamlikeghosts.com
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