Being a Christian, I always had a mild downer on Wire Jesus’ choice of name, but that didn’t stop me enjoying the Reading-based group’s output, an easy, unfussy brand of non-threatening psychedelia. Emerging from their recent-ish break-up (no divine intervention need be posited) is Amy’s Ghost, a five-piece fronted by Amy Barton, who was previously slightly overshadowed as a vocalist by the excellent Mike Murray. Judging by new single ‘Lullaby’ she is thoroughly enjoying her new, more prominent role.
There is a bit of overlap between the new and old groups, both in personnel (Tim Perkins’ baroque cello is as important as ever) and style. ‘Lullaby’, like several old WJ tunes, is smart piano-led pop, heavy on spectral, syncopated drums and contrapuntal, multi-tracked vocals. Barton’s singing is charismatic and urgent, with a hint of the kind of anxiety Natalie Imbruglia conjured so unexpectedly on ‘Torn’.
There are other promising things dotted around their Myspace page. ‘Afraid’ effectively showcases Amy’s glistening soprano over a sparse background of dusty-basement pianos and distant, thuddy beats. In the debit column, Barton’s philosophical musings on the consolations of faith aren’t very original and the arrangement needs more work to keep the punters interested, but the core of the song is solid. ‘Turn to Run’ has a little of that hippieish Bat for Lashes pseudo-Celticism I usually dislike, but Barton’s close harmonies are inventive and unforced.
In summary, I feel that the new band doesn’t yet have the quality in the songs to match the likes of Wire Jesus’s wonderful ‘Six Foot Crow’ , but Amy’s Ghost is already a good deal more than just a sequel. Talking of sequels, perhaps they can take inspiration from the New Testament: St. Paul didn’t turn out so badly.