The Ghost Is Dancing

Recorded on the shores of Lake Ontario on Toronto Island, The Darkest Spark is the first full-length by the indie-rock collective known as The Ghost is Dancing. 2006 saw the release of TGID's joyful and energetic debut EP, exploding with a barely contained pop feel the new band mates had channeled in the basement practice space of their Toronto group house. Now (mostly) out of school, the indie-rock collective have swapped roommates and also added the expert skills of Alt Altman on horn and guitar, Lesley Davies on backing vocals and Ben "Mountain Man" Deschamps on strings. Along with these transformations, they signed with Sonic Unyon Records and set about recording their first full-length album.

The Darkest Spark was recorded over a few blissful weeks in October of 2006 at the Gas Station Studios on Toronto Island. Together with Dale Morningstar, the Henry Thoreau of indie-rock, and his killer cat "CJ," the band set about to to produce an album about what it means to cross a lake to build a new life with your friends.

While their first record was one of jubilant kinship, The Darkest Spark documents that first separation from home when you leave in order to build a new life. Set against the expansive backdrop of Lake Ontario, The Darkest Spark is by turns pensive and explosive, minimal yet eloquent. Stark ballads transit to quirky bouncing pop and choral sing-alongs merge with angular indie-rock as trumpets collide with theremin and hundred-year old pump organs mingle with toys and bells found in storage boxes. The result is an exuberant, kaleidoscopic record that at once unravels their sound while allowing the band to discover its identity and embrace it.

With The Darkest Spark, The Ghost is Dancing have delivered an engaging, celebratory album that fulfills the immense promise laid out by their debut EP and more.