Music Review: Noah Gundersen, Carry The Ghost

By Melissa Bratcher

Noah Gundersen is a seeker. On his follow up to the much-lauded Ledges, Carry The Ghost, he looks inward, questioning the nature and existence of God, of Gundersen’s own chosen means of expression and career, and exploring loneliness and love. It’s a heavy, introspective album.

It’s also startlingly quiet; there are moments that are so deeply felt by Gundersen that his voice, already hushed, trails off to a strangled choke, phrases ending on a breath. Coupled with Gundersen’s tendency toward acoustic guitar and piano, it becomes a journey in which the listener sometimes wonders just what was sung and perhaps one might need one of those fancy ear horns (but mercifully, Carry The Ghost on CD comes with a lyric booklet that is mighty handy, and a fine way to join Gundersen in existential questioning).

It’s an ambitious, personal album. The influence of growing up in a religious home colors Gundersen’s lyrics. His writings are infused with biblical references and searching (the pointed “Empty From The Start” says, “I think I heard a good man say / God is love and love has made us / but have you seen the news today / I have and I think God is gone away / If He was ever there anyway” and “This is all we have / this is all we are / blood and bones no Holy Ghost”).

Noah Gundersen has aptly described his music as “sad Americana.” Some tracks on Carry The Ghost sound like quiet bedroom musings with whispered vocals. The opener “Slow Dancer” adheres to the “quiet/loud/quiet” formula that always works well. The confessional acoustic “Selfish Art,” in which Gundersen gets wobbly with emotion, and “Topless Dancer,” another acoustic piece, is metaphorical and written for a shriving pew.

The more upbeat (admittedly it’s a stretch to call these songs upbeat at all; they are thinky and often ponderous) tracks are an oasis from the introspection. While still thoughtful, they are deceptively happier, like the lovely “Silver Bracelet” in which Gundersen takes on a honeyed vocal to add to an interesting guitar line and his sister Abby’s strings. The country flavored “Jealous Love” also boasts fine vocals. It’s a tight song, almost out of place on Carry The Ghost. The yearning, thoughtful “The Difference” also features strings from Abby Gundersen, as well as ticking percussion from Jonathan Gundersen.

Carry The Ghost is a headphones on, dark of your room sort of album. Noah Gundersen has made an album that is mature beyond expectations, and Carry The Ghost invites thought in a way that many records would never ask of a listener.

Carry The Ghost was released on August 21 from Dualtone Music.

Tour Dates:
September 11 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
September 12 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
September 13 – Spokane, WA – The Bartlett
September 15 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
September 16 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
September 18 – Colorado Springs, CO – Ivywild School
September 19 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
September 20 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
September 21 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
September 23 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
September 24 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
September 25 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
September 26 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe at Old National Centre
September 27 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s
September 29 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
September 30 – Montreal, QC – Petit Campus
October 1 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
October 2 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
October 3 – Washington, D.C. – Black Cat
October 6 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
October 7 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
October 8 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
October 9 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
October 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
October 11 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
October 13 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
October 14 – St. Augustine, FL – Colonial Quarter
October 15 – Orlando, FL – The Social
October 16 – Gainesville, FL – High Dive
October 17 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar
October 18 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
October 20 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
October 22 – Austin, TX – Parish
October 23 – Houston, TX – Walters on Washington
October 24 – Dallas, TX – The Loft
October 27 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
October 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Fonda Theatre
October 30 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
November 1 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
November 3 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater