MY OWN GHOST - Life On Standby

10 songs
37:43 minutes
***** ***
Secret Entertainment

Bandpage

I don’t want to go about the antecedents of some members of My Own Ghost, considering that their debut album Love Kills two years ago was much more than just a decent effort. My expectations for the successor were therefore quite high, and I can say right this moment that they have not been disappointed.

It’s not easy to categorise My Own Ghost. Is it allowed to call their music pop? Or are there even some traces of metal? And what about the electronic components? All of these questions can be affirmed, and don’t be surprised to meet along the way even other influences in their sound. One could assume that My Own Ghost should actually sound much gloomier, considering that some of the band members play in dark metal bands like Das Scheit and Luceed. But instead My Own Ghost usually play songs that are despite the somewhat metallic instrumentation quite catchy pop tunes. The first four tracks offer light-hearted entertainment of the most uncomplicated kind. The songwriting takes care to let vocalist Julie stand in the foreground, which is a good decision as her talents don’t have to hide behind the international competition. On the fifth track If I Stay, the band shows itself from its darker side so that the gothic metal roots of the musicians finally make it to the surface. I also really enjoyed the ethereal intro of No Air, and the somewhat cheesy The Night Before I Die which reminded me a little of Tori Amos and Kate Bush. The concluding Hope is finally the only ballad on the album.

Some people claim that Abba play happy-go-lucky pop music. This may be true, but one can similarly claim that My Own Ghost consequently play happy-go-lucky metal music. No matter what all of the influences are, Life On Standby feels in the end like a metal album. Apart from some quieter tracks, My Own Ghost offer entertaining and catchy song that may never be too demanding but always get straight to the point. This makes this second record even a slightly better effort.