Review Summary: One of the most boring, generic, and cliche records I've heard in a long time.
Mike Berg isn’t used to the spotlight. Always behind the scenes, Berg worked as an indie band promoter in the Chicago area. Recently, whatever the catalyst may have been, he was tempted to pick up the guitar himself and once again give the other side of the music business a try. Berg used his music connections to gather a 6-peice name that plays under the name Van Ghost. While he was best known for his work with Dave Matthews Band, Berg actually worked with a variety of genres and a variety of artists. Unfortunately, this aspect fails to show through in his own music. Melodies For Lovers would best be described as alternative-country, with an indie twang thrown in the mix here and there, almost reminiscent of The Black Crowes. Melodies is an honest effort, but ultimately falls victim to a plethora of repetitive and uninteresting music.
From “Summer Promise” all the way to “Coliseum”, Van Ghost leaves me little to bring me back for subsequent listens. Berg’s vocals are adequate, but, like the rest of Melodies, nothing special to gush over. On a few songs, namely “Hurry Up,” Van Ghost attempts something a little more original and give dual vocals a try. While the added female vocals do provide a new aspect to the stale sound, they too are soon plagued by too-familiar melodies and lyrics that aren’t worth talking about.
At 14 tracks, I feel like Van Ghost had much more room to try something more creative and compelling. Apparently, they felt differently. It’s difficult to pick out individual songs, as many of them blend together into the same dull mess. Van Ghost is an honest, sincere attempt at a folksy record that clearly wasn’t intended for the many, but rather for the few that will latch on to this for some unknown reason.
Melodies For Lovers is a little slice of proof for what I already suspected- despite a great effort, Van Ghost still falls very short of creating a good, listenable record. You can butter it up all you want, but Melodies is still boring, uneventful, and a little unfortunate. And so I refer to my first statement: Mike Berg isn’t used to the spotlight, and I’d be willing to bet he never will be.
Recommended Tracks:
Summer Promise
Satisfied
