Torch and Rope - These Ghosts - Review!

 

Fredericton’s Torch and Rope consist of Shyanna McWilliams on vocals; Grant Harrison on vocals, guitar and bass; Rob McFee on guitar and bass; and Rick Bastedo on guitar. These four along with numerous guest musicians created their debut album called These Ghosts filled with heart, memories, and appreciation.

I have talked to guitarist Rick Bastedo with regards to how they were planning to push sales and airplay but they are still trying to sort this out. It was never written with money and fame in mind, but instead written to express their art, experiment in a studio environment and have fun with their instruments. See, these four are friends who have lots of musical experience. They just wanted to play together, have some fun, make a record and see what happens.

All songs were written by Grant Harrison and then arranged by the entire band. These are highly personal songs. The track Everything and Nothing is a song about a Grant’s struggle with his beliefs when confronted with a tragic situation involving his son in a car accident. The track The Young Man in the Old Picture is written about Grants relationship with his late father and his reflection on it. You can get the idea from these examples that this is not a party, humorous or light hearted album, but instead all songs are written with meaning and feelings. I’m often not in the mood for such a deep, personal album so it took me a while to find the ‘right’ moment to take this one in, but when the time came it was well worth the wait.

Torch and Rope excel at their instruments and their musical experience is evident. Filled with some complex fills, solos and time signatures, musicians like me can really appreciate this approach. The recording was a very solid attempt for a self-produced album. It’s a little heavy on reverb and other effects, but still a great sounding LP and something the entire band should be proud of.

For now, they do not have this album for sale online or in stores but if you would like a copy you can email me at [email protected] and I can put you in contact with them.