The Alarmists: The Ghost and the Hired Gun

The Alarmists
The Ghost and the Hired Gun
Instrument Control

The Ghost and the Hired Gun certainly has its share of superlative moments: "On the Way" jams a driving post-punk drum part and monomaniacal piano line against a jaunty '50s sock-hop chorus, while "Light a Smoke" revolves around a dark and echoing guitar line that evokes Coldplay's more brooding moments. Occasional bursts of irreverence like the filmstrip snippet that begins "Walking Away" add to the variety, but over the distance, the album feels a little flat. Drum and guitar tones sound more correct than inventive, lacking some of the snarl and grit that made tracks like "Good Advice" such winners on A Detail of Soldiers.

So we're back to potential—but the good news is that of the three options (realized, wasted, still waiting), the Alarmists certainly haven't wasted it. They've taken another step forward and gotten through their first full season, but they haven't won the championship yet. Although perhaps obscured by an excess of care, the seeds of a truly great Alarmists album still lay inside these songs.