Sometimes one needs a good reminder not to let expectations run amok in order to avoid disappointment. In general I always try to get positively surprised rather than the other way around, but you can't always be at the top of your game. Sometime you let yourself hope of something good only to be let down. This may sound more serious than the situation would suggest but Ghost in the House's self-titled recording is one of those reminders. I knew nothing of this band but the description of the music let me expect more than I eventually got. Instrumental music is something I generally hold in high esteem as a lot of great bands manage to convey the best emotions usually let their instruments do all the talking.
Unfortunately, instead of sprawling soundscapes, emotions, and music that leaves you staring out of the window while letting your mind run freely, what I get is a truly frustrating listening experience. I wouldn't necessarily classify this as music, and certainly not in the sense that you put a record on and enjoy it throughout its duration, but more of a collection of sounds. Ghost in the House consists of a bunch of boring sounds and the occasional lap steel guitar with other assorted instruments that make the idea rather than the end product sound good and it's all a tad too static and without flow.
The man behind this project is apparently a filmmaker and when that's taken into consideration this makes a bit more sense. The positive observation on this album is that it does sound like a cinematic experience with different scenes in mind and the liner notes state that the music is "based on scenarios by David Michalak." If you think of a psychological thriller or a horror movie then the seven songs that make up this recording would sit more comfortably but unfortunately, herein lays the biggest problem.
If this disc had been packaged together as a soundtrack along with a nerve-jangling motion picture made by someone like David Lynch or Gaspar Noe, then one could have had a lot more understanding of the experimental nature of it. The music still would not have been enjoyable but in a filmic setting the contribution towards an unsettling mood would have been palpable. Without a film to lean on however, as a stand-alone product, it just doesn't do more than bore you. I just can't see how anybody would put this album on and find the same sense of enjoyment that is evidently there in bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It's a shame because I really wanted to enjoy this band.
