When music crosses an ocean and comes back, there's always a slight return to the echo. The Holy Ghost plays rangy, vaguely amelodical guitar rock. Their notes reference Husker Du and Dino Jr., and those are reasonable comps. However, the singular comparison must be with Arcwelder.

The Holy Ghost Ignore Alien Orders (self-released)

Buzzsaw guitar riffs, anthemic hooks that never quite take flight and a rocksteady rhythm section that could jackhammer the Hoover Dam. In fact, I actually went through my old Arcwelder discs to make sure they hadn't originally done "Robot Creeps". The resemblance is stunning.

I'm not complaining when a band brings back the sound of one of my favorite 90s noise merchants. The Holy Ghost has a more stripped-down sound, which makes sense as this is a (multi-tracked, but still) duo. The ringing buzz has set my ears on fire.

If you are not a fan of any of the aforementioned bands, then I imagine the Holy Ghost will not alight so kindly for you. Perhaps this music is endemic to wintry climes; Arcwelder from Minneapolis and these boys from Stockholm. That's probably one of the dumber observations anyone will make this year, but I'm in too much bliss to care. This one improves with every increase in volume. Blisters of pleasure.

Jon Worley