Ghost Capsules - Ghost Capsules

by Dave Goodwin

published: 9 / 4 / 2013

Label: O Solo Records
Format: CD

Atmospheric, but repetitive electronica on debut abum from Ghost Capsules, the new band of Bomb the Bass's Tim Simenon

Review

When I was in the Futurist stage of my adolescence in the 1980s, I wnt proper obscure and bought an album by a French duo called Mathematiques Modernes. It was a weird piece of vinyl in that most of it was pretty experimental and offbeat apart from one track which I still love to this day. Ghost Capsules is the brainchild of Bomb the Bass supremo Tim Simenon, and are a Vienna-based quartet indulging in electro bleeps and bloops whilst travelling down the well-worn path of melodic techno. With Simenon acting as the linchpin, he found the group's first two members in drummer Roman Lugmayr and keyboard player Georg Lichtenauer who were both in the support band at a Bomb the Bass gig. At another gig Simenen had booked singer Laura Gomez, and after hearing her voice the last part of the Ghhost Capsules jigsaw was complete. Ghost Capsules should be a phenomenon. They have all the right credentials but whilst being a very good example of shameless pop they just fall an inch short. Lyrically they meander from morose atmospherics to futuristic odes to all things love and romance. It's all just odd enough that it should win you over. Gomez's vocals are initially quirky enough to give that edge of excitement, as she ranges from Alison Goldfrapp purrs to a sounding like a more sugarcoated Vanessa Paradis with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on the top. After a while though it starts to slip. It's like eating one too many Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and then being presented with another box by one of the in-laws. There are some great moments in this this debut album auch as 'Game of Thrones' and 'Inside that Scream', which both have elements of classic techno. Unfortunately, while listenable enough, they are instantly forgotten. If had they stuck to the more reflective tracks such as the Goldfrapp-ish 'Magnetic Fields' and the darkly rich electro tinged 'Time and Matter', this might have helped their cause. 'Morgan le Fay' is another belter of a track - a polished, radio-friendly electro house ditty that raises smile. The problem is that the whole offering is, whilst being a good listen, a little repetitive. By the time I had reached the end track I had forgotten most of the others. The album I bought by the French duo back in the 1980s explored a lot of what is on display here, and unfortunately it really has all been done before.