Most Popular
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The Legend of Hidden Beach The Twin Cities' most infamous party spot has undergone a makeover—but try telling that to the regulars
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Pregnant Pause Governor Tim Pawlenty may have vetoed the legislation, but that hasn't stopped women from being surrogates
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"So my boyfriend and I went speed dating..." Our intrepid reporter enters the modern world of attention deficit dates
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Obento-Ya: Everyday chic in Japanese dining Healthy, quick, and tasty Asian lunch
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Moles Wanted In preparation for the Republican National Convention, the FBI is soliciting informants to keep tabs on local protest groups
Blogs
Daily Kos discovers Laurie Coleman's "Blo and Go," hilarity ensues
Sat Jul 5, 12:36 PM
KARE 11 visits the Recession Vacation Lab
Sat Jul 5, 11:16 AM
Free Beer Friday: MGD Light and Samuel Adams
Fri Jul 4, 4:06 PM
Drink of the Week: Slap Yo' Mama
Fri Jul 4, 4:36 AM
Still looking for something to do tonight?
Fri Jul 4, 1:08 PM
Spoonbridge: It's Art, but Is It Good Art?
Thu Jul 3, 4:03 PM
Put 'em on the rack
Thu Jul 3, 2:58 PM
Park and seize
Thu Jul 3, 12:59 PM
Hot Three Way Action
Fri Jul 4, 4:23 PM
Alone in the Dark: Not as Scary as Axe Body Wash
Thu Jul 3, 12:13 PM
RNC host committee recruits steroid user to lecture us about Minnesota Nice
Wed Jul 2, 9:38 PM
Big Bet Politics: what craps and poker say about McCain and Obama
Tue Jul 1, 12:06 PM
National Features >
Broward-Palm Beach New Times
Sexual Healing
For Florida's sole remaining sex surrogate, love is a many splintered thing.
By Michael J. Mooney
City Pages
Your Friendly Neighborhood War Profiteer
It's not just giant companies cashing in on America's defense industry.
By Jeff Severns Guntzel
The Pitch
Supersizing Sonic
How a throwaway idea at the Barkley ad agency became the "Sonic Guys."
By Justin Kendall
Houston Press
Temples of Tex-Mex
A diner's guide to Texas's oldest Mexican restaurants.
By Robb Walsh
The Alarmists: The Ghost and the Hired Gun
Steve McPherson
Published on August 08, 2007
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.
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