The Breakdown
New Zealand Rock band Voodoo Bloo release their 12-track sophomore album ‘The Blessed Ghost’ – A glorious, sprawling exploration of their atmospheric, at times cinematic grunge rock sound across 12 tracks. Packed with some beautiful guitar work, ferocious energy and a dark, intense tone, this is an album demonstrating the bands musical maturity and creativity far beyond their years.
Opening with the spoken word, reflective, self-aware monologue ‘The Blessed Ghost (Younger then)’, the band quickly set the emo tinted, moody tone which is prevalent across the album, before the breaks into little, quirky acoustic skit. ‘Pursuit’ is where Voodoo Bloo really begin to introduce their alt-rock sound, with layers of distorted, modulation tinted guitar lines, fuzzy bass and thumping drums under the angst ridden, tight lead vocals. Sitting somewhere between White Lies, Royal Blood and the heavier side of Bring Me The Horizon with a hint of 2000’s emo-rock and Black Country New Road’s descriptive, poetic lyricism for good measure.
Elsewhere on the album ‘We’re Here, Love is Somewhere Else’ channels math rock rhythms and choppy guitar lines akin to Mew whilst ‘Rhubarb and Custard’ demonstrates an element of shoegaze to the bands music with cavernous reverbs, washing synths and a more gentle, considered and melancholic tone.
The albums standout ‘Skin’ is representative of everything the band do well – experimenting with sound and mood while showcasing a beautiful understanding of melody and musical depth whilst still retaining the dynamic energy of their other tracks. Opening with a fuzzy baseline and trippy synths akin to Radiohead’s The National Anthem, the track soon breaks out into a stunning, high octave tinted picked guitar line. The intense, emotive vocal delivery, expressive and angsty as ever pulls everything together as the track builds before bursting into an explosive fuzzy, math-rocky climax. A stunning track that I would love to hear the band play live.
Elsewhere on the album, ‘Tomorrow Person’ captures an element of Joy Devision, both in the picky, Coctau Twins-esque vocal lines and the Inan Curtis-esque vocal delivery before breaking into an epic climax. Similarly ‘Ritalin’ is worth a listen just for the wild whammy pedal guitar work in the latter stage of the track.
Closing with the aptly moody and dark ‘Continuous Stimulus’, the band polish of the album on a lully, heavy note perfectly encapsulating everything the band’s sound is about.
An album full of amazing riffs, moments of beauty and moments of explosive expression, ‘The Blessed Ghost‘ is an excellent collection of tracks from a band that know their sound but also aren’t afraid to push the boundaries and experiment. Abundant with brilliant musical ideas, Voodoo Bloo are more than deserving of all the acclaim coming their way.
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