Live and Let Ghosts by Jukebox the Ghost

I've heard many people talk about how they want to get Freddie Mercury to come back and revive popular music. Well, if you are one of those people, I have news for you: he is back! No, not from the grave, or as a hologram. Freddie has been reincarnated as Ben Thornewill, the co-lead singer for Jukebox the Ghost. 

Jukebox the Ghost has three members: Ben Thornewill on the piano and vocals, Tommy Siegel on guitar and vocals, and Jesse Kristin on percussion. These three, along with some overdubs to fill out the sound, create a very unique sounding, piano driven rock band. And do you know what the cherry on top of this is? Thornewill has the voice of a god. It's powerful, iconic, high, and low with heavy overtones of Freddie Mercury himself. 

The album Live and Let Ghosts itself sounds fantastic as well. Let me reiterate: sounds. The lyrics, much like those of Jukebox the Ghost's predecessor Queen, are often inconsequential. Many of the songs have a feel, whether it be catchy or epic, and the lyrics reflect those. The problem is, the epic stories only end up being stories; the catchy tunes have catchy-tune lyrics; the love songs only have love-professing lyrics. Meaning, at least in the deep, poetic department, is not prevalent. 

Now, Bob Dylan they aren't, but Queen they might be. And like Queen, the meaning of the songs do not come through in the lyrics, but in the emotion and and performance. Let's start there, then: the emotional songs. There is actually a suit of love songs half-way through the album that depict the progression of infatuation from attraction to love. Victoria opens the suit and is a piano love song (wait, come back!) held up by Thornewill's voice and his classical training at piano. The song screams lust at you the entire time and makes you wish that this would happen to you someday: "Victoria approached me/With a fire in her eyes/And I swear and I swear/I was burning 'live." The next song, My Heart's the Same, slows down the pace but continues the idea. It's still a piano love song sung by Thornewill, but this time the topic of discussion is more "like" becoming "love." Lighting Myself on Fire picks the pace back up with a smooth, sing-along chorus demonstrating how love has finally taken hold. 

Now that that's out of the way, the theme of the album must be discussed. I bring it up now because the theme is not important and is very simple: many of the songs are about the apocalypse. The apocalypse an interesting story topic, and Jukebox the Ghost only uses it as such. The songs written around this theme include, Beady Eyes on the Horizon and another three song suite: Fire in the Sky, Where Are All the Scientists Now?, and A Matter of Time. I won't bother talking about the stories of all of them, or this article will be massive. Go listen to the songs and experience the fun for yourselves.

The four songs previously stated are the "epic'' songs in the album. They don't mean much, but they tell a good story. Beady Eyes on the Horizon is the best of these four, and is a multi-part song that lacks real "verse-chorus" structure. This makes it sound rambling, unique, and really cool, especially when the accompaniment keeps shifting from rock-and-roll to folk to ballad and back again. The three song suite sounds very similar to Beady Eyes on the Horizon, but over 10 minutes. 

Not all of the songs in Live and Let Ghosts are parts of the concept or in a suite. Under My Skin is a disturbing break-up song based on the idea that love is like having two people under you skin. The piano part for the song is bouncy as hell, and when the rest of the band comes Under My Skin becomes a real foot-tapper. Finally, Good Day demonstrates everything Jukebox the Ghost is in a nutshell. Thornewill's voice is top-notch, the piano has a infectious rife going, the guitars fill out the sound, and the drums add a little syncopation. 

Don't be intimidated by the talk of concepts and suites. This is an album that you can turn off and let wash over you. This is an album that you can actively listen to and pick apart. This is an album that you can sing along to. Go nuts. Listening to Live and Let Ghosts is an enjoyable experience, as demonstrated by these ratings.

Originality: 7/10
Artistic Quality: 6/10
Listenablitiy: 9/10
Overall: 22/30