Pale Green Ghosts [Two-LP] [Bonus Disc]

The title track from the ex Czars' frontman's second solo outing, the chilly, electro-kissed Pale Green Ghosts, sounds like a Brendan Perry (of Dead Can Dance)-fronted Kraftwerk taking on a James Bond theme. Like much of the album, it's icy, stylish, pompous, and self-obsessed, which is the direct antithesis, at least sonically, of his previous album, the maudlin, confessional Queen of Denmark, which was made with the help of wistful Texas folk-rockers Midlake. Pale Green Ghosts, on the other hand, was recorded in Reykjavik, Iceland with the help of GusGus' Birgir _órarinsson (Biggi Veira) and while Grant keeps the microscope firmly on himself throughout the 11-track set, he does so with more wit and panache than he did on the record's predecessor. Populated by slinky electro-pop cuts ("Sensitive New Age Guy" and "Black Belt"), saucy, Harry Nilsson-esque, chamber pop fight songs (the saucy "GMF," one of two tracks to feature backing vocals from Sinéad O'Connor), and melodramatic "Return to Oz"-era, Scissor Sisters-inspired ballads ("Vietnam," "I Hate This Town," and "Glacier"), Pale Green Ghosts has a little something for everyone, and while all of the over-sharing can be a little overbearing, Grant's huge, expressive, and oddly comforting voice acts as a sedative, turning even the saddest, raunchiest, and most uncomfortable turn of phrase into a caress. ~ James Christopher Monger