Review: The Ghost Ease – Raw

The Ghost Ease
Raw

Cabin Games/ K Records
Street: 09.04
The Ghost Ease = Ex Hex + Bleach-era Nirvana + 
Slant 6

In the spirit of extraordinary female-led rock trios, from Sleater-Kinney to Ex Hex, The Ghost Ease’s new album, Raw, showcases their ability to distill rock n’ roll down to its very essence. Legendary producer Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Unwound) lends his magic to the band, reinforcing the loud-quiet-loud ethos that the great Northwest constructed in the early ’90s. Hailing from Portlandia, The Ghost Ease celebrate the region’s priceless vault of music. Outward aggression gives way to introspection, shifting from themes of loves lost and isolation (“4BV”) to astronomical phenomenon’s effect on human behavior (“Pareidolia”). The whispered intro of “Neptune Sun” shapeshifts into explosive bombast. Unrelenting, “For Naught” charms with playful harmonies as the song’s narrator lets their lover go. “Bye, Love,” Raw’s closing track, trades the fuzz guitars for piano that feels like the softness of a kiss goodbye from a lover you don’t want to see go. Simplicity in music is becoming a lost art, however, The Ghost Ease is seeking to prevent it from disappearing forever. 
–Stephan Wyatt