Ghost: If You Have Ghost EP

  Released this year, Swedish fiends Ghost released an EP of covers produced by Foo Fighters main-man Dave Grohl. The covers that the band choose might surprise you, as I certainly did not expect such a non-rock/metal set of tunes. However, Ghost are full of surprises, and you might find something to like here.

   First up is a Roky Erickson cover. "If You Have Ghosts" is a great cover of the 1981 original.A wonderful rendition of the song, it is the highlight of the EP. Ghost make the song less folk and more modern rock by adding brighter guitars, bigger drums and production, and an overall poppier sound. I really like what Ghost has done to the track, and it is nice to hear them move away from the dark and ominous lyrics that their own work contains, even though the songs' lyrics could certainly be interpreted as dark. Even stranger than a Roky Erickson cover is the cover of fellow Swedes ABBA's 1977 single "I'm a Marionette". Taking the song in a heavier and more metal direction, it's a strange choice for a cover that somehow works. Ghost's creepy organ dominates the track, as does the thick guitar sludge that plods through the track. Somehow, they pull it off.

    Keeping with the Swedish theme, Ghost takes on their countrymen and women with a cover of the 1991 hit "Crucified" from the little-known outside Europe dance group "Army of Lovers". The original was certainly a little creepy and sleazy, but Ghost takes the track and warps it from a dance song into a macabre trip through a graveyard, a la King Diamond. The chorus retains the pop element of the song, but albeit much more spooky. I again like their take on the decent original, an interesting metamorphosis. The last cover is a cover of Depeche Mode's 1990 song "Waiting for the Night".  Their version swaps the synthesizers and gentle beats for heavy guitars and swirling organs. Singer Papa Emeritus II takes the vocals in a more operatic direction. Still slow and sleepy, I prefer the original and think it was dark enough, but not bad at all.
A live version of recent single "Secular Haze" is included as a fifth track. A decent rendition, but not one of my favorite songs.

   "If You Have Ghost" is an interesting EP. Fans of the band will certainly like the covers, and despite most of the artists being quite pop in nature, the band definitely add their own warped vision to the music. Pick it up, if only for the superb cover of "If You Have Ghosts".

Rating-7.5/10