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Formerly known as Polanski, ‘The World Is Outside’ is the debut album by the bands latest reincarnation, Ghosts. Combining traditional indie qualities with straightforward pop sensibilities, the London based four-piece have an astounding knack for churning out first class song, after first class song, to the point where it’s almost annoying. Following a basic format throughout (which to their credit has been mastered with a natural and uncomplicated approach) the album kick starts with ‘Stay The Night’. A snappy little number that’s filled to bursting point with highly infectious hooks and riffs that once heard are difficult to forget. Punctuated with screaming trumpets and flowing with a too good to be true vocal it’s frighteningly catchy from the off and guaranteed to get lodged in your head for the remainder of the day. It’s a stunning track to open an album and to make their intentions clear; however, living up to it won’t be easy.
But they manage with ‘Musical Chairs’. Same formula, different song and just as big as the first; the instrumentation busy but not overly complicated and the vocal just edgy enough to cut through all the niceties. Moving on with the album’s title track ‘The World Is Outside’ and ‘Ghosts’ it’s becoming apparent that the band are in danger of turning into something of a one trick pony. Not only that but the tricks aren’t necessarily new and at this point of the album when (despite their quality) the songs are beginning to merge into each other, a few grating observations have to be made and questions asked; Is the world ready for another dose of Coldplay? Probably not, but despite the comparable sound, the difference between themselves and the likes of Coldplay and The Feeling et al is that they sound like they’re smiling and don’t look toward a self imposed sympathy vote. And without trying to overly complicate their chosen formula, they’ve managed to strike a balance between youthful honesty and attitude (they’ve even got previous for suspicion of criminal damage after a hotel room was flooded…but were released without charge).
Track five ‘Mind Games’ is a departure from the initial up beat tracks that have gone before it but rather than refresh and shake up the album you could have spotted this one coming a mile off. Yes that’s right folk’s, it’s the text book sad one! Openly intimate, with a big chorus that’s just begging to be put on someone’s post break up comp tape, either that or on one of the big summer festival stages whilst couples hold hands, whisper sweet nothings and hope that their relationship can go as far as one of the many helium balloons that have just been released. It’s not that it’s a bad song. Far from it, but its predictability is one that’s somewhat hard to swallow. And it also follows that the rest of the album will take the same tried and tested route with ‘Something Hilarious’; a beautiful and delicate dream state pouring out of the heart.
Thankfully, for the time being at least it stops there with ‘Stop’. Positively fresh faced and buoyant with a full bodied 80’s esque simplistic yet highly effective synth. And like its successor ‘Over-Analysis’ it’s littered with glossy piano and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, even if at times it’s like listening to Busted for grown ups. But the optimistic piano rock is short lived and there’s more melancholy talk of lost love in the form of ‘Wrapped Up In Little Stars’. Concluding the album is ‘Temporary’ and just shy of seven minutes, it’s an epic that starts with an eerie Liam Frost esque style of percussion that guarantees to tug at heartstrings and begs to be played at stadiums as the lights go up and tears roll down cheeks. As debut albums go it’s undeniably good and packed with gems that dazzle and effortlessly fill every inch of the room with light and will no doubt provide the soundtrack to someone’s summer. Unfortunately for Ghosts they have to live up to and will always (for the time being at least) have to bear the Coldplay comparisons…in essence, ‘The World Is Outside’ is probably two years too late.
