Ghostland Observatory

Delete.Delete.I.Eat.Meat… (Indierect)

Like some lunging, stumbling, brain-craving zombie, Austin’s Ghostland Observatory has risen from the necrotic lump of flesh known as electroclash and tries to find fresh meat on their latest, appropriately-titled release. Put out by local imprint Indierect, Delete is hit or miss: sometimes it’s a nice, juicy thumping heart, other times it’s that spleen no one really wants to eat. The duo of singer/guitarist Aaron Behrens and drummer/electronic tweaker Thomas Ross Turner spits out diametrically danceable dissertations on the Giorgio Moroder-infused “Shoot ’em Down” and “Candy Rider.” “Silver City” is a slow jam/slow dance straight from some 1984 dance floor. There’s the body rocking of “Black Box” and the nose candy jitter of “Rich Man,” plus the careless George Michael whispers of “Best Won’t Do” are a nice touch. Songs like “Edge of Town” and “Cause a Scene” get annoying, even on Ecstasy or, say, a few black market Cialis and a can of Sparks. It helps that Behrens can hit notes like Prince and usually wears braids and tight, pink jeans onstage, thus making the whole fuck-disco-I-just-wanna-dance thang so robotically beautiful. Ghostland Observatory has its finger on the pulse, even if it’s not a human one.

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This article appears in July 15 • 2005.

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