- Critic Score
- Most active
- Publication
- Most clicked
-
Everything on Heavy Ghost is a work of pure genius; this is the music of your life and it's the kind that needs to be rewarded in any possible way because truthfully, honestly, sincerely, it's something endearingly special.
-
100Heavy Ghost, Stith's debut, is nothing short of a masterpiece of mood and texture, an album that sounds as if it was devised in equal parts by a seasoned composer and an inspired amateur.
-
Much like the title of his debut, Indiana's curious ringmaster Stith is a contradiction in terms. Don't be put off--he's a contradiction worth losing yourself to.
-
80The listener brings just as much to this music as Stith does, which is the peculiar genius of his creation.
-
80It's Buffalo, New York-born David Stith's turn now to fashion a brilliant, hermetically sealed world that makes unabashed emotional connection. [Apr 2009, p.109]
-
80Apparently Stith shied away from any musical expression for years--in which case Heavy Ghost represents a quite spectacular plunge. [Apr 2009, p.87]
-
80Stith's ability to combine sounds into a sort of post-modern tribal folk is what makes the album so enjoyable to listen to.
-
80His debut album is extraordinary. [Apr 2009, p.110]
-
80At this point, Stith is more of an arranger than a songwriter--the 12 tracks are perfect little canapes of tastefulness, glorious while they last but not lingering as much more than an aftertaste of something rich and dark--but an undeniable talent lurks within.
-
The strings and tympani gradually fade out until we are left in silence. The moment serves as an appropriate conclusion to a singular work from an extremely talented new voice.
-
80Yes, Heavy Ghost is weird, but Stith's melodies are simple and wonderful, making his experimentation easy to follow and, with his enchanting choral throughout, it's easy to get lost in every song--or even engulfed into a new fantastical land that you may never want to escape from.
-
80Set against a rich, ethereal backdrop, it's a mature, moody debut, the type that makes one hope Stith will choose to linger on the music scene for some time to come.
-
76Heavy Ghost is, in Stith's words, "more like life:" sometimes challenging, sometimes confusing, but, in the end, rewarding.
-
As a whole, Heavy Ghost is considerably subtler even than "The Crying Light."
-
Even if Heavy Ghost doesn't feel fully unfurled--or if it unfurled for too long, with all those years spent gestating--Stith still continues to demonstrate his symphonic talents and deep care for texture and timbre.
-
Heavy Ghost manages to give a pleasant trip off the grid. [Winter 2009, p.76]
-
Like a futuristic remake of "The Wicker Man," it is all splintered beats and frosty light-night soul, and at best, as on 'Pity Dance,' quite remarkable.
prev
next
Page:
- 1
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 9 out of 9
-
Mixed: 0 out of 9
-
Negative: 0 out of 9
-
MeghanS10Completely, disturbingly beautiful!!
-
10
-
Alex9Hauntingly beautiful. The track "Pigs" makes me crazy.