Night Manager – Ghost 7″

Our last daily post for 2011 includes the brand new 7″ single from NIGHT MANAGER on Big Love Records in Japan. It is now their second 7″ to date, which eventually leads to a full length LP in 2012.

As opposed to their debut 7″, Night Manager really found their stride this time around. At times on their debut, it seemed as if things had a tendency to get a little sloppy, almost as if the band rushed through their recordings or something. That is not the case with “Ghost,” which features three brand new songs that offer up much greater production quality and show just how well these guys can rock. Caitlin Seager’s voice sounds even more impressive when there’s less lo-fi filth to carve through, bringing me to say that the guitars sound much sharper and more refined as well. Seager still offers up the same chilling coo that made their debut so unique which transfers over to this 7″ excellently – it keeps a piece of their past intact, while still offering up fresh, new material.

All that being said, now we’re graced with tracks like “Platonic Lovers.” It’s easily their fastest song to date, yet it eventually hits a slow point. Once that happens it’s an exciting listen to hear how they slowly recapture their momentum, then they charge on through for one last solid minute before the end of the track. A commanding track like this differs greatly from “All Mine,” which features Seager’s swaying vocals as she sails along the swift drum beat. Now looking ahead into 2012 looks that much better. There’s no telling when we’ll have an LP from these Brooklyn fuzz-rockers, but the good news is that they’re working on it.

PS – Tomorrow begins our countdown of the Top Thirty 7″ Records of 2011, so you definitely want to stay tuned for that. It will be a two part ordeal, with the second half coming the following day (Friday). Then follows Christmas weekend and the following week we’ll be back to posting year-end lists. Stay tuned!

Ghost –