Okay Fake Problems, you've got a lot to answer for. Having scheduled a fairly extensive UK tour for the Spring of 2010, hundreds of, um, hundreds of desperate fans were left sorely disappointed - heartbroken, even - when the entire soiree was abruptly cancelled earlier in the year. The reason? They needed time to finish recording their third album. Band and management were sure we'd understand. FP would return to our shores soon. Everything would be okay in the end, right? Well, seven months later and there's still no sign of the band making inroads anywhere even remotely close to these hallowed Isles, but we do have the fruits of their labour: the uber-kitschly titled 'Real Ghosts Caught on Tape'. Well boys, given all you've put us through, this better be bloody good.
Thankfully, the record surpasses all expectations. Where 'It's Great To Be Alive' honed the alt-folk-punk formula established on debut 'How Far Our Bodies Go', 'Real Ghosts' propells the band's sound into the stratosphere, creating eleven deliciously infectious pop anthems designed to worm their way into your subconscious and never, ever leave. From start to finish, this is an album of hooks, grooves and falsettos, cut straight from the Brian Wilson school of pop. Indeed, tracks as toe-tappingly catchy as '5678' could just as easily be long-lost Beach Boys recordings, shot through with an extra layer of guitar.
The lyrics are certainly scattershot enough, marrying some distinctly bleak themes with a series of rather more banal invocations: tremendous opener 'ADT' tells the bittersweet tale of a socially awkward youngster, coupling dejected epithets like 'if confidence is key, I must be locked out of the house' with the rather lighter chorus line of 'tap, tap your feet to your heartbeat'. Such ambiguity adds depth, while simultaneously ensuring that you just can't stop shaking your ass to the music. The rest of the album is equally as irresistible: 'Soulless' is a three minute slice of power pop brilliance, 'Complaint Dept' is funkier than a James Brown Greatest Hits and 'Grand Finale' does exactly what it says on the tin, providing an epic crescendo before the more sorrowful reflection of 'Ghost to Coast' kicks in.
Luckily for band and management alike, Fake Problems have managed to create the album of their career with 'Real Ghosts Caught On Tape'. This is thirty five minutes of alt-folk-funk-punk brilliance, morphing seamlessly from one pop gem to the next and guaranteeing its place on your music player of choice for the next six or seven months. You are forgiven, boys, for abandoning us all earlier this year; now just make sure you set about bringing this little slice of genius to the UK, yeah? (9)
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