{"id":8731,"date":"2015-07-13T12:12:34","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T12:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-ghouls-great-expectations-ii\/"},"modified":"2015-07-13T12:12:34","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T12:12:34","slug":"album-review-ghouls-great-expectations-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-ghouls-great-expectations-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Ghouls –\u00a0Great Expectations II"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"Resentful, passive-aggressive pop punk accompanied by optimistic jazz-esque horns should, in theory, fall at the first hurdle. Just in time to rescue their ailing genre, Ghouls<\/b> have come to the conclusion a brass injection is a long overdue therapy.<\/figure>\n

Building on the quirky character introduced last year by debut \u2018Ten Thousand Words On\u2019<\/i>, Ghouls<\/b> have wasted no time in producing a new tantalising release. Adding extra tracks to October\u2019s \u2018Great Expectations EP\u2019<\/i>, the mini-album \u2018Great Expectations II\u2019<\/i> showcases the London quintet\u2019s fresh approach to pop punk. Trombone and saxophone at the ready, they took to dismantling all expectations of a monotonous genre to incorporate quite possibly the happiest wind instruments and create a hybrid worth shaking the scene for.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

A bitter yet contagious anthem, the title track sets the scene for the rest of the album, offset by a contrastingly good-spirited melodious sax. \u201cNice to see you, to see you go,\u201d<\/i> snaps vocalist Benedict Goold through the scorned \u2018Nice To Know You\u2019<\/i>, maintaining consistent punk nonchalance alongside tricky guitars and a not-so-subtle reference to Bruce Forsyth.<\/p>\n

Typical reflections of school rebellion and time wasted with friends flow through \u2018Gone Fishing\u2019<\/i>, kick-starting the heart of the genre\u2019s humble nostalgic roots. Just when it seems impossible to exude character through bleak punk disillusionment, \u2018Being Me\u2019<\/i> presents a quirky lament of the life of a musician today. In their own self-deprecating words, \u201cI might not play Reading, I might not play Leeds, but at least I\u2019ll have the memories of the things we did.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the way life goes, as \u2018Better And Then Some\u2019<\/i> states, with its energetic get-up-and-go instrumentals striking a great contradiction to Goold\u2019s subdued vocals. Closing on the stripped-back ode to post-breakup friction \u2018Acting Adult\u2019<\/i>, traditionally flawed punk vocals play out a swansong to the ultimate punk conflict – \u201cat 23 years old, I can\u2019t start acting adult.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Energetic, passionate and hell-bent on producing entertaining tracks from start to finish, Ghouls<\/b> have prized open a wonderfully new realm of pop punk, perhaps even jazz punk, that will stand them in good stead for years to come.<\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

\u2019Great Expectations II\u2019<\/em> by Ghouls<\/strong> is out now.<\/p>\n

Ghouls<\/strong> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Ali Cooper (@AliZombie_<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Resentful, passive-aggressive pop punk accompanied by optimistic jazz-esque horns should, in theory, fall at the first hurdle. Just in time to rescue their ailing genre, Ghouls have come to the conclusion a brass injection is a long overdue therapy. Building on the quirky character introduced last year by debut \u2018Ten Thousand Words On\u2019, Ghouls have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1823,4092],"class_list":["post-8731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-ghouls","tag-great-expectations-ii"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Ghouls -\u00a0Great Expectations II - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Resentful, passive-aggressive pop punk accompanied by optimistic jazz-esque horns should, in theory, fall at the first hurdle. 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