Local underground music exponents Andrew Muecke and Ashley Starkey, together hereon known as Happy Ghosts, have had what they deem to be quite a successful past couple of years with a wide backing from both radio and, in particular, film and video festivals as well as television show such the ABC’s ‘Rage’, where they’ve received considerable rotation.With much bigger and more ambitious plans for 2007, this talented pair of Casperites have released their third EP which not only features the lead track, Loosen Up, but a bonus three-track DVD/video compilation which includes their previous two singles, Booze And Pills and Something Beautiful. With Mueke behind the wheel musically, the visual aesthetics and voice for this well-tuned vehicle are provided by Starkey. Categorising themselves under a genre dubbed as ‘ambient alternative’, in essence, what that means is their sound is predominately electronica on the exterior with a lightly-added spritz of live instrumentation and sampling tastefully added throughout. Loosen Up is an immediate example of the post-Floyd, new age influence that breaks away from what’s expected by the simple use of guitar as a base and constant, well-measured key changes from the hypnotic electronic embellishments and mantra-like spoken refrain imbedded within.
The clip uses a psychological/science-based montage as an appropriate backdrop and, having already made it as a top ten finalist in the 2006 Australian and NZ Below Ground Video Fest Awards, one could predict further attention to come.
The only other new track here, Young, has a slightly heavier, percussive jazz-infused feel to it with a small boy’s recall of happier days as the narrative. Also garnering accolades are the two other video clips featured here: Booze And Pills which (by use of a rubber chimpanzee mask as a talking head) also borrows voice-overs and footage from an old 1950s educational documentary, as well as Something Beautiful which was a finalist in the worldwide ‘06 Portable Film Festival. It’s the latter track that I once, upon hearing it on radio, mistook as being a possible new David Byrne number, hence further illustrating another of Happy Ghosts’ mentors.
Definitely interesting material all round, which in turn tells me that we best keep an ear to the underground because what’s bubbling beneath may soon break to the surface and take on the big guns.
Steve Jones (DB Magazine – Issue#404, 7 – 20 Feb 2007)