Former Ghosts
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Former Ghosts is a project of Freddy Ruppert, former member of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I, with loose collaborations from multiple people including
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originator Nika Roza Danilova,
Yasmine Kittles Yasmine Kittles is an American musician, actress, and performance artist. She is a member of the bands Tearist, Former Ghosts, and Low Red Center. About her stage performances, Rolling Stone has written, "Aided by her hair-raising yelp – a voic ...
of
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, Annie Lewandowski of Powerdove, and
Carla Bozulich Carla Ragin Bozulich (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician based in Los Angeles, known as the lead singer, lyricist and founder of The Geraldine Fibbers and Evangelista as well as a founding member of Ethyl Meatplow and Scarnella. The ...
. Past live incarnations have included Jherek Bischoff and Sam Mickens. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this project. The title of the debut, ''Fleurs'', is a reference to the white-flowered iris (''
Iris germanica Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...
'').


Formation

From an interview, Ruppert explained the formation of the band:


Critical reception

''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' said the debut single, "Hold On", "sounds like what might've happened to
Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
if
Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...
had bought a Casio and a four-track and fired the rest of the band."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave ''Fleurs'' 3.5/5 stars and said that "Former Ghosts evoke isolation with a fearlessness that few of their peers can match." The blog Fingers Become Thumbs listed ''Fleurs'' as their album of the year (2009), stating: "In all seriousness, this is a dark and intense record in which Ruppert really puts himself out there, so much so that even listening to it can be emotionally draining. In saying that, by the standards of its members its by no means a ‘difficult’ listen, and in fact was intended to be the synth-pop side-project of Freddy and Jamie." Prefixmag.com found ''Fleurs'' to be "intermittently brilliant", but felt it could "benefit greatly from more collaboration and judicious editing of the track list".


Discography

* '' Fleurs'' (2009) * ''
New Love "New Love" is the debut single by English singer Dua Lipa from her self-titled debut studio album (2017). It was written by Lipa and its producers Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt about the singer's struggle to find her place in the music indu ...
'' (2010) * '' Split 7" w/ Funeral Advantage'' (2015)


Music videos

* ''Hold On'' (dir. Amir Shoucri
watch
* ''Flowers'' (dir. Paul Rodriguez
watch
* ''Taurean Nature'' (dir. Amir Shoucri
watch


References


External links


Official Site

Freddy Ruppert's blog

Official Myspace

Last.fm page

Interview with L.A. Record

Fleurs review at prefixmag.com

Sputnik Music Review
{{Authority control American noise rock music groups