The Ghost Is Dancing - Battles On

The Ghost is Dancing once overran stages with ten-odd members and twenty-odd ideas per song. For all the enthusiasm, however, the songs always seemed to come up short; the sound was good, but the songs were unmemorable. Not so now. Battles On is the Toronto group's latest, markedly superior release on Sonic Unyon. The title track captures the shift perfectly, infused with band's trademark energy, but leaner, and more structured. It focuses on melody in ways the band only hinted at before. Elsewhere, choruses soar and guitars follow suit; group vocals and horns are utilized less to more effect (proven by "Rogues and Heroes"). They're still going to be compared to bands like The Arcade Fire, most likely, but with Battles On, they've found the strongest of their own voices, and now they're singing in unison. And you'll probably wind up singing along.