Beyond the bad grammar in their band name and the fact that they’re the kind of band that people will associate neon, crunkcore and all that garbage with them, Watchout! There’s Ghosts is your almost typical electronic screaming band, a la Breathe Carolina. Seeing as this will probably be my most controversial review, I might as well let people know that I really enjoy this band. It’s not completely a guilty pleasure, but it’s not one I take the most pride in listening to. Watchout! There’s Ghosts is the offspring or former A Skylit Drive singer/screamer Jordan Blake who parted with the band for seemingly unknown reasons. Some would say the move was terrible, seeing as A Skylit Drive has quite a fan base, but seeing as Watchout! There’s Ghosts just finished a tour with Jeffree Star and are soon going on tour with Brokencyde (god forbid), they could gain quite a fan base with the young 14-year-old girls who enjoy the previous two “artist’s” music.
I’m sure it’s not uncommon that people hate Blake’s voice along with Josh Stott’s screaming. Relatively speaking Blake has a rather high voice that does have quite a bit of problems (both on albums and live), but he still can seem to sound sort of decent. Stotts has a nice set of lungs and can do some pretty nice screaming, both in album and live. Stotts provides the guitar (which Breathe Carolina lacked until Hello Fascination, so a plus for these guys for starting with it right away) which is evident in just about all the songs. Watchout! There’s Ghosts has created infectious beats that I just can’t seem to help but like.
Ghost Town isn’t a technical marvel. We get synth and beats, with some pretty basic guitar and a vocalist who, more or less, has trouble holding his high notes for more than a few seconds. But for some reason, that’s never stopped me from liking this album a lot. There is no new definition of this genre. It’s just another band who put out another electro scream album. But I seem to find that the beats are just so engrossing and that the lyrics are actually quite decent. Particular favorites come from “Don’t Shoot Me Annie Oakley”, “Remember Me, Oh God, For Good” and “I Ruin Dreams, Not Nightmares.” “Don’t Shoot Me Annie Oakley” is a song full of what seems to be regret, with Blake stating “If I treated you / The way you deserved / They maybe I / Would never be hurt / Maybe it’s my fault from the start / I took that chance, I took it far.” Mix it in with a few screams and a beat that sucks you in, and you have a pretty decent song. “Remember Me, Oh God, For Good” is one of those obligatory sad, slow songs telling the world that they aren’t happy unless a girl is around. And to be honest, it does quite a good job of that, starting with the lyrics “I hold your back against my chest / Rest my lips gently on your neck / Watch you stir so peacefully / I wonder if you’re dreaming of me” that deliver a pretty powerful message (to me, at least). “I Ruin Dreams, Not Nightmares” isn’t as much of a serious song, but it does make me smile when I hear Blake sing “Call out my name / Pretend he’s me / Woah oh oh oh / Pretend for me.”
