Hi Pal,
Welcome to another review where I tell you how I feel about a specific album or EP release. We will check out Ghost by Sam Bowman in today's edition.
I’ve been writing here for two years and one thing I try to do is to talk about music that I genuinely love. I never want to get to a point where this starts to feel like a stressful work or chore that I have to do because I’ve made a commitment.
For this reason, I believe pop music has suffered a lot here because I find it very difficult to connect with a lot of modern pop songs or artists that I’ve heard in recent years.
On the Christian scene, Sam Bowman is one of the few whose music I enjoyed from the first listen. Early this year, precisely February, I found him through his collaborative single with Christian Singleton titled I Just Want To
. Being curious about how he sounded alone, I discovered Hero
, a song he released in January and since then, I’ve been hooked.
Ghost begins with “Can You Hear Them”, an atmospheric tune that acts as a backdrop, which sets the stage for the record. It has a haunting feel to it, that ties nicely with the name of the album, and has bird chirping and other nature sounds which match the aesthetic of the album art. Right from the start, it was already obvious to me that this is a concept album.
“Whisper” picks things up seamlessly with a symphonic intro followed by cool synths and samples. With songs like this — and most of Sam Bowman’s brand of electro-pop — the attraction, from a production standpoint, is in the subtle additions to the mix that one may not quickly hear on first listen. These hidden gems create the potential for wholesome and repeatable listening experiences. “Pantego” is a tune that speaks to us about digital cages we have built for ourselves on our phones and other devices. It’s a cautionary tale which we can all relate to either by experience or observation and reminds us that there is much more to life than the online worlds we have built for ourselves in this digital age.
“Garden King” draws inspiration from one of my favourite books of the Bible, Daniel. Daniel 4 tells the story of how God humbles King Nebuchadnezzar and Bowman captures the essence of the story quite well here. “Wisteria” continues the themes of its predecessor but takes things in a slightly different direction. While Garden King primarily speaks about the pride of place and possessions, Wisteria talks about resisting rescue or salvation, which is a sort of pride. It has lyrics like:
…somehow I decided that all my righteousness would suffice for me
I can’t reconcile what’s refining and what’s entitlement……Beneath my peace of mind underneath my fear inside
Is a cynical denial of the truth…
Bowman captures and communicates an inner turmoil that many folks, including myself can relate to. “Vintage Vice” takes the themes of inner turmoil and fleshes them out. It’s a prayer to Jesus and an expression of the desire to live holy and righteous before Him. There’s something about this song that gives a sense of conclusion or a halfway marker before the breath of fresh air that comes with the next tune. In fact, the next three songs are my personal gems on the album and really bring Bowman’s production chops to the forefront.
“Whoosh”, which features GLADDEN, feels like the beginning of the second half of the album and is a hyperpop masterpiece. “Still Burning” is the best song on the album, hands down. It’s probably my bias for rock music but it’s an electronic rock/pop punk banger with heart-tugging lyrics such as:
In the joy and the pain (We’re still burning)
In the seasons of chaos and change (We’re still burning)
In a nation confused (We’re still burning)
We are the ones that rejoice in the truth (We’re still burning)
We are dead to the flesh (We’re still burning)
And to that sick bill of goods that the ghosts wanna sell (We’re still burning)
We are carried by love (We’re still burning)
And we believe in the promise that Christ is enough (We’re still burning)
I already alluded to my love for “Hero” and the switch between the acoustic pop verses and the build-up to the EDM-fueled chorus always gets me. “Vagabond”, features Xander Sallows, and is a reminder of the temporary nature of our time here on earth as well as our heavenly home.
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is a beautiful rendition of the classic hymn and “Rose-Colored Glasses” attempts to differentiate between empty optimism and having true hope in Christ. Ben Lawrence’s voice really drives the emotional weight of the song home on his own verse, and it makes for an engaging listening experience. These two songs are the soberest aspects of the record, and I like how the production still retains subtle hints of electronic feels that permeate this album without compromising the songs' ambience.
“I Ain’t Worried About a Thing” is the weakest point on this record for me because it feels too much like the generic pop songs that I tend to shy away from. Thankfully, Sam Bowman ends this journey on a very strong note with “A Ghost Story”. As the name suggests, this track is a spoken word odyssey that ties every theme of this album together in a spectacular fashion. It is a little over 9 minutes long and even though it takes multiple listens to truly appreciate it, the experience is completely worth it.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a concept album and the most important element that binds it is the manner in which Sam Bowman uses the word “ghost”. This word is prevalently used throughout the album in both singular and plural forms to varying degrees. When in its plural form, the artist uses it to depict a negative sentiment that represents discouraging voices, evil thoughts, and hurtful emotions. On the other hand, when the word is used in the singular tense, it serves as a short form of the 'Holy Ghost' and symbolizes the voice of God.
Intricate details as these reflect the amount of work that went into this album's conceptualization and execution. It’s difficult to not respect such dedication to one’s craft, yet when combined with an engaging, eclectic, and inspiring body of work, it is indeed a special thing on your hands. Ghost is one of the best albums of 2023 and certainly the best pop album I’ve listened to in quite some time.
Genre(s): Electropop, Synthpop
RATING
: 4.5/5
Listen Here:
Apple Music • Deezer • Other Links
Connect with Sam Bowman:
That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
Talk to me about your favourite songs on the EP. Also, let me know of any other albums or EPs you’d like me to review.
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