By Tim Norek
THE
BOUNCING SOULS – Ghosts On The Board
Walk (Chunksaah Records)
“You say we have been there for
you, in all the tough times of your life.
Remember you have been there too. The greatest
friends I’ve ever seen. Know what I
mean… Thank you again my good friend,
for reminding me that this should never end,
you’ve inspired me again. Know what
I mean. We always will be true.” –
the Bouncing Souls – “Dubs Says
True”
The Bouncing Souls have put out yet another
great album filled with singalong choruses,
classic love and brake up songs, bitter remorse,
cheerful honesty, reassuring hopefulness,
and this time they even through in some political
commentary. As most of you probably know,
while this is a new Bouncing Souls album,
these are not new Bouncing Souls songs. Over
the past year they have released one song
on the first of every month to their fans,
and “Ghosts on the Board Walk”
is just a compilation of these songs into
an album. The first thing that will strike
a Souls fan about this album is that they
switched up the order in which they released
the songs; curious, but a good mix.
While the Souls’ sound has matured
over the years it amazes me how much they
haven’t really changed. The album is
chalk full of classic Souls love songs like
“I Think the World…”, “Airport
Security”, and “Like the Sun”.
Yet they’ll still slip one in there
like “Big Eyes” which, while true
to form a Souls love song, has something catching
and new. The verses are incredibly sad and
are truly a lament, yet the chorus is reassuringly
hopeful in a way only the Souls could pull
off.
But enough talk of their love songs, they’ve
got me all verklempt. There are also
plenty of songs on the album that, again true
to Souls form, are all about friendship in
the most meaningful of ways. “We All
Sing Along”, while an incredibly biting
commentary on life, reminds us we are all
in it together, and its hard driving sounds
make it a great sing along. Then there’s
“Dubs Says True”, the Souls next
great anthem, know what I mean; yet another
great chorus and yet another great sing along.
And just incase, you’re not a fan of
the Souls’ more mellow sound that they
been playing around with for the last couple
of albums, they even through in some oldschool
for their oldschool fans. “Badass”
is quintessential oldschool Souls; it sounds
something like a cross between “East
Coast Fuck You!” and “These Are
the Quotes from Our Favorite Movies”
except they instead of listing quotes or cities,
they list things which they find badass. I
have to say, I’m relieved the Souls
find croquet badass; I thought it was just
me and my friends.
Another highlight has to be “Never
Say Die / When Your Young” which showcases
the Souls ability to write more then just
verse/chorus songs. As the title implies,
its really two songs overlapping back into
each other at the end. The first is a hard
driving anthem; the second a remorseful call
to the youth, but then it leads back into
youthful defiance at the end, this time with
a drop of melancholy. As for the title track,
“Ghosts on the Board Walk”, it
is truly a song for Asbury Park. It sings
about the longing loneliness of a broken town
and/or population, but is remindful of good
time past and those to come. While I’m
sure its meant for a broader audience then
just Asbury, I can’t shake the image
of a fade Tilly smiling out on the deserted
beach and broken down boardwalk of Asbury
Park (R.I.P. Tillie).
The Bouncing Souls are not the same band
they were twenty years ago. They aren’t
even the same band I fell in love with eleven
years ago. But they are still phenomenal.
I cannot think of a band that has aged and
mature as well as the Bouncing Souls. When
I was fourteen, they wrote songs I could relate
too, sing too, and mosh too, and now that
I’m twenty-five, they are still writing
songs I can relate to, sing too, and mosh
too. They will always stay true.
