The Gay Blades
Ghosts
4-Never/ Triple Crown
What are The Gay Blades and where the hell did they hide their space ship? This strangely genre-less duo makes dance music for indie rockers. It only takes a few listens to get on board with this slightly glam/slightly garage, ultra suave/nerdy cool pair from NYC (where else?!).
Both the best, and most frustrating, thing about this band is what a confluence of influences they are. While not as wildly weird as Ghostland Observatory, they come from perhaps the same galaxy and flourish their songs with intergalactic colors – especially the pair of remixes that cap off Ghosts. They’re not young, or brightly colored enough to fall in with the likes of Panic at the Disco, but their melodies are comparative at times. I won’t call them emo, but both “Dog Day Afternoon” and “We Wear Mittens” toe that sensitive line. And though the vocals of Clark Westfield share nuisances with Jack White – most obviously on the album’s trump card song “O Shot” – I could not in good conscience compare the band to either The White Stripes or The Raconteurs. To add to the confusion of which hole to plug this square peg band, dance floor gems like “Hey She Say” and “Compliments Can Kill” recall a few years back when Franz Ferdinand was heating up the airwaves.
It may not take on the first spin, but Ghosts is an album worthy of a second chance, and The Gay Blades are worthy of your open mind and attention. Even if they don’t make perfect sense in your head, the album is most definitely a fun ride.
The Gay Blades: http://www.myspace.com/gayblades
