They say that you should write about what you know. J.J. Chamberlain takes this concept a step further on his debut album. A Year With The Ghosts is not just an album forged from familiarity; it comes from the deepest part of his creative soul. It is a record of a difficult time in his life; the music threaded through with grief, loss, and longing. It is a respectful and gentle exorcism of personal ghosts, a sonic release in the form of song and sentiments designed to help both them and Chamberlain move on. And if that is music made for the most heartfelt of reasons, I don’t know what is.
The songs take the singer-songwriter template and elevates it into emotive and anthemic alt-rock heights, striking a delicate balance between the personal and relatable, the intimate and accessible, the big and the heartfelt.
As “Eyeballs” kicks things off, you realize that you are in the hands of a fine songwriter, and this opening salvo is a brilliant blend of almost folk-rock vibes and big indie sounds and of jangling rock. But this is Chamberlain’s sonic ace, that he can take the most personal of subjects and make them so contagious.
“Cheat Codes” takes indie into almost dance territory, somehow both intense yet slightly melancholic, musing on the idea that some people seem to have the knack of deftly navigating life’s difficulties and others, you and me, have yet to work out such secrets. “Thoughts” is hazy and somewhat hallucinogenic in its sonic finish, and “Fawn” is a slightly angular, brilliantly dynamic, and darker indie journey.
A Year With The Ghosts might be a collection of personal songs, but it has a message for all of us. It is, among other things, a reminder that the events of many years ago, perhaps even decades, are the experiences that shape who we are and who we will become. Life is an unpredictable journey, but it is the difficulties and challenges that mould and make us, and if only noticed in hindsight, hopefully turn us into better, stronger, more resilient, and wiser people.
