Ghettoblaster Magazine reviews Palm Ghosts’ Content Providers
Eddie Ugarte from Ghettoblaster Magazine uncovered some great insights about Palm Ghosts’ Content Providers album. Check out the review here.
“Yeah, I’ve been following the doom & gloom of Nashville’s post-punk Palm Ghosts, who, as of yet, haven’t failed to deliver. With every subsequent album released by the band – vocals / bass player Joseph Lekkas, guitarist / vocalist Benjamin Douglas, and drummer / percussionist Walt Epting – the group has reached into some of the darkest corners, piecing together fantastic notes & chords, and brooding lyricism. For its new Content Providers (Steadfast Records/Sweet Cheetah/Poptek), the group has seemingly pivoted, allowing songs to take on a different life of their own.
“Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s been gradual, but the post-punk darkness that seems to have surrounded the band through its earlier recordings has the band walking towards the end of the tunnel as a faint light calls out to the group. It’s not a ‘Run to the light Carol Anne’ deceiver but more of a nuanced reprieve to allow that luminescence to surround the music and allow it to breathe easier. Let’s start there. The punchy ‘Box Bedroom Rebels’ holds on tightly to an odd little pop melody and a consistent guitar note that barely changes at all as the bassline and the rhythm itself drive the song. I’ve listened to this over and over again before actually noticing it. Lekkas’ vocals, along with the backing vocals, is a distraction from it, and unless you actually read this, you probably won’t notice it either! But it’s ‘Last Of The Hold Outs,’ that comes firing out of the gates and is completely unexpected. The blatant melody & harmonies hark back to an era of songwriting that we don’t hear anymore. Yeah, the harmonies, the icing on the proverbial cake, are what will have you coming back again and again. Everything is perfectly fitted, from the shimmering guitars to the grandiose rhythm. Epting is the backbone here, and without him, the song would probably have a different look and feel. The track plays with your emotions, and no matter what you’re feeling going into it, there’s absolutely no way you’re coming out afterwards miserable.
“Yes, it’s true, Palm Ghosts wraps an insurmountable amount of melodies within its songs, which are brutally honest. But it’s not going to detract from the band’s ability to fit that same energy as it goes into different directions, into other places it’s most comfortable in. The darker gothic mode of ‘Michael, You’ve Changed’ hits with direct purpose, navigating through keyboard washes, and minimal guitar interactions as Lekkas’ low register makes the song even more haunting. When he sings ‘Michael, you’ve changed/to what you feared you would become/a casualty cliché…/ Michael you’ve changed (why did you leave us?) / Michael you’ve changed (the devil is beside you),’ it makes me want to find Michael and question ‘WTF Michael, why are you so different now?’ But it’s the words… ‘Michael you’ve changed / the damage spread you thin / we were golden for a moment / and desperate to be golden again…’ that are haunting, couple that with the music and hot damn(!) Michael has gone through it.
“But we can get back to the group’s catchier moments. ‘Paul’s Last Epistle’ digs a little deeper. The last epistle of Paul was 2nd Timothy, which was written as Paul became aware that his death was nearing. The original letter was written to Timothy, his protégé, encouraging him to remain faithful. I like the juxtaposition here with the song’s catchiness offset by the somberness of nearing the end. The crunch of guitars is fucking beautiful though, and it seems they enter beast mode whenever they start churning. Ok, it may not be your favorite song out of all the compositions here, but it remains mine.
“Oh, these Palm Ghosts. With Content Providers, the band has found new ways to stir up emotions. Well, it may not be something that’s actually new, but it’s something much more deliberate and focused. We’re here for it.”