Upon my first listen to Fantasize Your Ghost, I told Camélia, my fiancé, (We were driving to Milford, Michigan to try out our new discs at Black Locus Disc Golf Course.) that I would love to see Ohmme perform the songs because I felt like some of them were meant to be extended during a live concert. Then I went back and read the email their rep sent Michael, our AltRevue editor. A bit of 90’s alternative mixed with late 70’s punk, early millennium post-punk, and Beatle’s influence (“Wait. What?” Yeah. Just listen to it and tell me there are not moments when you hear the Beatles.), Ohmme’s upcoming album was “the direct result of the band spending more time on the road than in Chicago,” I learned. (Just for a little clarity, I am not as lazy as I am making myself out to be. We were on the road, and I was more interested in a non-bias first take. I knew I could go back and read the email and band-bio later.)
Fantasize Your Ghost is not going to be your summer album. Although you might find a song that helps to define your season (For me, it might be “Ghost.”), it’s going to be a long-term investment in which you need to spend time with each song figuring out why it has become your favorite after so long. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I was impressed by the depth of Ohmme’s musical inspirations, especially “After All.” (I wasn’t planning on discussing individual songs, but this one is something else. It reminded me of alternative music from the 40’s and/or 50’s, something my grandparents would listen to even though their parents thought it was “the devil’s music.” It’s not for everyone, but I love the band’s bravery.) Music is, after all, an evolution of thought and sound, and bands that pull from so many influences should be celebrated.
Final Thought: I’m afraid I am not selling this album the way I would like to. It is a very solid album by a musically intelligent band. Each song has its own intrinsic value, but it was the culmination of all of them that mostly impressed me. In a time when people want playlists more than entire albums, I am trying to find a way to encourage listeners to work through an album like they would a show on Netflix. Fantasize Your Ghost is worth multiple listens and your time.
Favorite Songs: “Ghost,” “The Limit,” and “Sturgeon Moon.”
Rating - 4/5