Lucky Ghost

Lucky Ghost is the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Seth Berkowitz, formerly of Aaron Hill & The Crimson Guard, Conquistador, and Skabba the Hut. Synthesizing influences from ’80’s pop, ’70’s prog and modern indie rock, Lucky Ghost emerges with a crisp sound, laden with hooks, melody, and strong arrangements.

Network Stars is Seth’s first full-length release, featuring home studio tracks recorded between 2005 and 2008. An album about reluctant love, crime-solving children, useless superheroes, gay spies, professional jealousy, and, of course, network stars. Although the opening line is “This is the sound of a woebegotten misanthrope,” every track is upbeat, with clever rhymes, fabulously balanced lyrics, and just enough melodic modulation to make each stanza sound instantly recognizable yet unique, all at once.

In my ears, this storytelling pop music, although solidly mainstream, has a strong alternative/progressive vibe. The music is simply arranged, always clean and transparent, in keeping with the homemade feel of the project. The austere nature of the arrangements brings heightened clarity to the unusual edges of the occasional dropped beat and oddly timed bridge. There is deceptive song-craft going on, making this album wonderful to listen to more than once. Rhythmic experimentation is organically employed, aiding the lyrics; the large palette of language adds depth to each story told, never drawing distracting attention to the authorship. The more I dug into each song, the more I appreciated what Seth was doing.

On my first time through the song set, I thought the tracks sounded like pristine demos. I concentrated on the fine songwriting, enjoying the song-craft, the sense of story. The strong writing is obvious from the get go. However, I wasn’t moved to get up and dance, hadn’t yet found the progressive drive or rock passion. Yet after a few more listens, I began to appreciate the sparse use of instrumentation, the subtle differences, the theatrical energy, and with each listen I loved the music more and more. When music gets better with each listen, you know it has something special to offer.

I wish the lyrics would have been included in the CD booklet. I know I was missing some great lines and wrote Seth to get a complete lyric sheets. They are indeed worth reading/knowing. I hope he posts them on his website. These are good short stories that are much easier to appreciate when the entire text is laid out on the page. - Macjams

Why spend a lot of money on music when sometimes the best is available for free (although the artists are always grateful about a little donation)? Lucky Ghost from New York is the brainchild of Seth Berkowitz, who used to be in Conquistador, then started a solo career as Aaron Hill & The Crimson Guard, and now is back with his new project.

Sex Griddle contains ten songs that comprise all his different ideas and influences, making it at first really hard to describe it in only a few words. Basically what we’re getting here is excellent power pop from a genuinely great songwriter, as can instantly be heard on the opener We Came, an impressive anthem if there ever was one. Sounding like the melancholic Guided By Voices adopting the grand melodies of Weezer, Mr Berkowitz instantly wins his audience over with a song that has all it takes to be a future classic if there is even a little justice left in the world. It becomes clear quite soon that he is one of the few contemporary artists that have the rare gift to write songs that are impossible to forget. The indie rock guitars may dominate the picture, but there are a lot of majestic synthesizer lines that give the music sometimes a science fictional feeling, and sometimes don’t even shy away from arena rock pathos, but the laidback attitude of the production makes this contrast totally endearing.

Other highlights are the single Made In America, and most of all Love With A Ghost, a quirky duet with a certain Susan Stewart. But you will certainly find some more gems among this incredibly great album brimming with unforgettable melodies and intriguing instrumentation. Lucky Ghost have a pop sensibility not unlike that of the Cars back in the late Seventies and early Eighties, but tweak it just so that it makes sense for the new millennium. What eventually distils through on Sex Griddle may be much too uncool for today’s trend-conscious kids, but those who have at least an ounce left of musical culture in their brains will be delighted by this soon-to-be underground classic. - Disagreement.net

Seth Berkowitz gently prods commonly used genres and musical styles - There`s a brilliantly comical stance with grey and sentimental overtones. Artists that create the entire instrumentation for a release intrigue me, working in the form of a composer rather than a band member proposing an equal share surely leaves a nagging doubt for perceived reactions. Whatever demons were lurking, Sex Griddle is a Pop-fest, the layered synth hooks and bright bass lines are more than a quick fix to the quintessential three minute Pop song - Defined and danceable, the story unfolds. - Mojophenia