Single Review: Halloween In Brooklyn by Ghost Thrower

 Ghost Thrower - Halloween In Brooklyn 

 Self Released
 September 08, 2013

by Brian Nissen

Ghost Thrower has always achieved a great blend of punk, pop punk and our old melodic hardcore favorites (Split-lip, Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring...you know the ones), but with this track they don't give us just more of the same. The musical fragment that first piques interest on  "Halloween in Brooklyn" is the week head-voiced melody sung over the strummed chords.  The great counter melody that comes to support after the initial 8-bar motive assures that they are serious about maintaining a vigilant ear from the listeners and not satisfied with just a pique of interest.  They are also more aggressive in showing their emo upbringing through this intro and even more so through the sad sounding vocals of the bridge. Emo they are not, though.  Rather, they accentuate the drawn out vocals that are heard in early melodic hardcore bands - which is also to say that they are keeping a steady pace with trends in alternative music.  They don't get bogged down by trends, though.  In fact, they end the song with a cliche indie rock drum beat with which they monetize the monotony of to drive the song home.

      If they maintain the punk and pop punk idiosyncrasies they have had on earlier releases and continue to let their influences shine through as they did on this track, the new album, out October, 10th, may be a good start to fall releases.