From its opening synthesizer melody, Dynamics, the second studio album from Brooklyn-based synthpop duo Holy Ghost!, initially sounds like it was produced in the 1980’s. Then again, as synthesizer-driven pop music was essentially born in the 1980’s, any recording within that genre toes the line of being considered derivative. Fortunately, the title Dynamics aptly describes the rich, dynamic nature of the music on this Holy Ghost! album, which was released last month.
Holy Ghost! formed in 2007, as a musical collaboration between long-time friends Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel. They were signed by DFA Records as part of the hip-hop group, Automato, that ultimately faded into anonymity. Frankel and Millhiser continued to work together, moving towards a more vocal-oriented pop style that relied heavily on synthesizer melodies and production efforts, yet maintained the fast-paced poetic lyrical style of hip-hop music. Holy Ghost! released their eponymous debut album in 2011, and was met with commercial success.
Two years later, Holy Ghost! has asserted themselves in the dance music genre with Dynamics. The opening track, “Okay,” begins with an 80’s- influenced synth riff that drops into a toe-tapping beat. Supported by the beat and a low synthesizer groove, the vocals are both calming and refreshing, with a twinge of mysterious intrigue that pull in the listener. With clean vocals, melodic synthesizer hooks, and a very danceable drum machine beat, “Okay” typifies many of the musical themes of Dynamics.
The depth of Dynamics comes in the form of Alex Frankel’s clever-yet-emotional lyrics. Several of the songs deal with romantic issues, including “I Wanna Be Your Hand,” a play on the classic Beatles-penned song “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and “Don’t Look Down,” where the singer hopes that a girl is thinking about him, wherever she goes. The band addresses other intriguing themes, including depression on “It Must Be the Weather” and the night-life of New York City on “Bridges and Tunnels.”
While some of these songs touch on heavy subject matter, they do so in a way that balances that heaviness with infectious melodies and highly-danceable rhythms. For example, “Dumb Disco Ideas,” an eight-minute track on Dynamics, discusses procrastination as it flows through several sections, ultimately ending with a climactic refrain, where the normally-solo vocals are joined by background vocalists, who, together, triumphantly sing: “Put, it off, and wait, wait for another day!”
Dynamics is an all-around groovy synth pop album, and definitely worth the listen. Though, given their infectious, danceable nature, one can’t help but feel that these songs are most appropriate in a live venue… fortunately, Holy Ghost! is performing at Terminal 5 on Halloween night, which has the makings of a fantastic concert experience.