An opening guitar line that’s totally like that one song you loved from your favorite alternative early 90s band is how “Not Ready To Stop,” the opening track on Ghosts Go Blind first hits. It’s like your most comfortable flannel shirt that you still have in the closet. But after the initial throwback comfort, it actualizes into a recent revelation and new artistic statement, showing already that this is Ola Podrida at it’s most dynamic of incarnations. The guitar gets crunchier, the levels start to rise, and reaches a point where you just know that when they play this live they are freaking the fuh OUT. The best part about it sounding that way is knowing that they recorded these songs live to tape, making that a genuine feel. This is probably awesome to watch.
This album shows the Austin-based soundtrack composer and indie-rocker David Wingo really digging in and going for it with a solid band that is, collectively, Ola Podrida. Much of his music has this inherent, warm southwestern haze that has always sounded good in his previous more lo-fi solo and temporary collaborations, and with this third full length, the haze is more solid and energetic.
“Washing Away” is a nice testament to Wingo’s cinematic composition capabilities, with a guitar solo over a drum beat that is some of the best stuff you’ll hear in any indie rock cadence, and title track ‘Ghosts Go Blind” is a slow twanger, quite beautifully done. “Blind to the Blues” switches up the mood for a minute, starting off like it could maybe go in a sexy R&B slow jam direction. Then the fact that this is Ola Podrida we’re listening to, not Keith Sweat, kicks in, but it still ends up being kind of sexy in a thoughtful way.
This leads right into featured single “Staying In,” which is basically the new American dream. As Wingo sings, “throw away my telephone, pull down all the shades / will you still stay here with me / help me waste these days / what day is it today?” I’m thinking, man, that is the life! Wishful thinking or not, I’m sold, because the idea of not even having to know what day it is sounds so liberated. Or homeless, but either way “Let’s just stay in tonight / let’s just stay here alright” is something I could get into every now and again. I could also get more into that scratching electric guitar and organ that have a little duel at the end of the track “Speed of Light.” The only thing that throws me off about this album is second track “Fumbling for the Light.” Maybe it’s partly because the opening track starts with such a force out of the gate, but it feels like the most forgettable song on the album.
Ultimately, Ghosts Go Blind sounds like David Wingo has found many of the good things in life, and also found a way to translate these happy discoveries into music and words. Closer “The Notes Remain” maybe sums this up best, with words like “Jumped off the roof / broke my arm and my front tooth / but didn’t cry,” sung in a slight southern drawl. I tried to be a bird once too. Ola Podrida is the soundtrack to getting up and smiling.
Ola Podrida is hitting the road this weekend on a little tour, and Ghosts Go Blind is out now on Western Vinyl.
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Photo (c) Aubrey Edwards
