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Review: 'Ricky Rat'
'Ghosts Of Isolation'   

-  Label: 'I-94 Recordings'
-  Genre: 'Rock' -  Release Date: '4.8.22.'

Our Rating:
This lockdown album came out last August on Detroit's I-94 Recordings on Vinyl, 8-track or cd. Ghosts Of Isolation see's original Trash Brat Ricky Rat working with a core band of Joe Leone and Laura Mendoza plus guests including Jackson Smith, Chloe f. Orwell, Jimmie Bones and Brad Elvis.

The A-side opens with Ghosts Of Isolation blasting out of the speakers at full pelt, trying to bury Ricky's pandemic memories, panicking him again, Banished by loud guitars, steady drumming as they can't wait for normality to return, they won't stop rocking till it does.

Lakepointe Nights are of course for rocking out, listening to cool speedy guitar solos, as you figure out how many different old punk songs this tune reminds you off.

Bottom Of My Heart has Jackson Smith's twanging country punk guitar, on this basic sex and drugs and rock and roll tune, Like it's time for one last drink for the road, as you go weaving off in the direction of home with no regrets for one more night in a bar.

Laughing Stock takes a basic garage rock blueprint, as Ricky's lyrics hit at the people who make laughing stocks of themselves while purporting to be deadly serious, something the USA has an abundance of, unlike the tight taut guitar solo that punctuates this tune.

Glow Of Gabriel's should be sung at your favorite bar, as all the recently created angels hover near by, as Chloe F. Orwell's sax brings those ghosts to life with only the merest nod towards Albert Ayler's Ghosts, this is not that harsh, a treat of a song.

The B-Side begins with I Can't See Shit because you are so sozzled, stoned, smashed on this drunken brawl of few regrets for the overindulgence, pour yourself another one, Take one more toke, Pop another pill, while snorting up this tune to help make the guitars go off to the stratosphere.

Dream that Can Never Be feels nice and loose, semi jammed searching for another drink as all your dreams have been dashed by real life once more.

Sitting In Limbo has the lockdown blues, that needs a crowd singing along with it, as the high-toned backing vocals make clear over some very louche organ.

When We Were The Boys is punk gang memories, as you wish you could get the band back together, but still won't apologize for what went down previously, this is stuffed with bitter regrets.

The album closes with Singing With The Angels a piano led punk hymnal for everyone whose gone too soon in the last few years, it goes all lighters in the air in places, as the backing vocals go choral, the piano goes a bit Professor Longhair, as the guitar riff tries to lift you higher, as I try to work out what David Johansen song it reminds me of.

Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/rickyratdetroit https://i-94recordings.com/collections/frontpage/products/ricky-rat-ghosts-of-isolation-lp-i-94-015


  author: simonovitch

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