For much of the band's early existence,
Ola Podrida
founder
David Wingo
split his time between the bedroom folk solo project and composing scores for films.
Wingo
's first two albums were soft, mumbly acoustic affairs, but with an inescapable sense of underlying narrative running throughout. For third full-length
Ghosts Go Blind
,
has expanded from his shut-in home-recording ways to form a full band and record mostly live in the studio, but even with these advances in sound, it's hard to escape the cinematic underpinnings that characterize
's work. The nine songs that make up
are a big step forward. Rockers like "Speed of Light" and "Not Ready to Stop" breathe in a way that only a live band in a room can, sounding like
Magnolia Electric Co.
in an especially reflective mode, or
Yo La Tengo
indulging their most Southern impulses. The more restrained numbers also benefit from the support of a full band. The gentle amble of "Blind to the Blues" feels more sturdy with steadfast live drumming and glittery guitars urging on
's slacker harmonies, and the low-lit moods of "The Notes Remain" also sound more confident and sure-footed than they might had
cobbled together the instrumentation by himself.
's downtrodden lyrics fit the soft indie textures of
, setting up images of the desperate last straggler at the late-night party, the couple in a rut who don't like to go out anymore, and a group of friends experiencing their finest hours together without even realizing it. The marriage of wistful, brightly arranged indie with
's reflective and cinematic verses makes
an impressive set, easily the most effective collection from the
moniker. ~ Fred Thomas