Knocking Ghost - Soul Aspiration

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

We were happy to admit that sticking Knocking Ghost in our tips for 2013 list way back at the start of January was something of a shot in the dark. We'd only heard one song, but that song was 'Independent Girl' and it was, to put it politely, flipping good. Lots of groups have just one or two decent tunes and a load of dross though, so it could have backfired, especially as they're a synth-pop group, and the last thing the music world is crying out for is yet another synth-pop group. The London/Irish trio haven't proven to be a let-down yet though, with debut EP 'Distractions' thankfully backing up our initial instinct. With still very little music available, it's looking as though 2014 could be the year that Knocking Ghost are looking to in terms of launching a more consistent musical assault on the world.

'Soul Aspiration' might just be the start of this; a single to end this year and remind us all that they're still here and have been working away on new material. A prompt, a kind of marker to future intentions. What's exciting about their music is that although it's pop, it doesn't aim to be anything it's not. It doesn't aim to be overly commercial or wildly experimental. The goal for Knocking Ghost appears to be making the music they want, not the music the industry demands from them, and in doing so hoping that a few others share their vision for accessible yet alternative electronic pop music. So 'Soul Aspiration' has hooks, it has melody and it's contagious, growing with each listen. At the same time it's their own, it has an edge to it, a bite that will please those who tend to opt for non-mainstream sounds, and it has just the right level of experimentation and depth. The risk is that this approach will leave them in a no-man's-land where they're not pop enough for the masses and too commercial for the elitists. They shouldn't worry about that though, with songs as strong as they've given us so far, that particular gap is looking as though it's being successfully bridged.





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