Bridges and Powerlines: Ghost Types

May 29th, 2008 by stv

Bridges and Powerlines digging through the bins
Reading between the lines of All Music Guide’s review of Bridges and Powerlines self-titled debut EP, you might get the impression that the New York indie band is destined to become the next big radio-friendly rock band á la The Killers. Fortunately for those with discerning musical palates, B&P don’t deliver on that implied promise with their follow-up full length, Ghost Types, and you won’t be forced to endure any ham-fisted attempts at wordplay like “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” listening to the eleven well-crafted tunes on this record.

The album’s title comes from the notion that every man has the ghost of a child trapped within, which inevitably leads to a constant struggle of trying to grow up while being overwhelmed by child-like impulses. This might explain why they’re currently working on a video for the tune “Uncalibrated” featuring a whole lot of sock puppets (I kid you not).

Musically, this self-described “well behaved, semi-literate, and courteous collection of musicians” deliver an interesting mix of semi-jangly electric guitars and fat analog synths topped off with articulate, melodic vocals often tightly harmonized over a rhythm section that kicks out the straight eighths like nobody’s business.

Drawing on the finer moments of indie rock (before everyone had to have punk and/or metal guitars) and the early, early (lo-fi) days of new wave, B&P are definitely worth checking out. Tunes like “The Golden Age,” “Half a Cent” and “Middle Child,” with its killer chorus of “never know which life to lead/and which to leave behind,” are definitely engaging, and the short and sweet 38-minute running time leaves you wanting just a wee bit more (in a good way - album closer “This Last Equation” kicks major ass).

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3.5 Stars