I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep

by Ghostpoet

Overview

Obaro Ejimiwe is still sleepless and sounds every bit the part on the fifth Ghostpoet album, his first since 2017's Dark Days + Canapes. Lethargy and lack of projection notwithstanding, he's cognizant enough to transmit his ever-harrowing thoughts, wishing for death, quoting pro-Brexit demonstrators, and acknowledging "I was once your Superman, now I'm just bones" with mystifying impassivity. Sour paralysis is conveyed in almost every track, whether the target is narcissism, materialism, or racism. The energy increases only when Ejimiwe is at his most defiant on "Nowhere to Hide Now" (with the returning Delilah Holliday providing whispered background vocals) and the title song, the only cut that could be termed a rocker, as all else crawls and slinks. Even with its uneasy strings and variety of keyboards, the sound is starker in comparison to the previous Ghostpoet LP. It's less reliant upon electronics with a stronger emphasis on the razor-sharp interplay between drummer Fabian Prynn and bassist Tom Herbert -- both holdovers from the previous album -- and guitarist Benjamin Markham, who breaks occasionally from circular and shadowy supporting rhythms to deal out liberally reverbed lashings. While the album's cover deliberately recalls Henry Fuseli's The Nightmare, it wouldn't look out of place between copies of Joy Division's Closer and Associates' Sulk. Like those two post-punk touchstones, I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep has a despairing seductive power. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	05/01/2020
Label:	Play It Again Sam
UPC:	5400863026936
Rank:	66878

Tracks

1. Breaking Cover
2. Concrete Pony
3. Humana Second Hand
4. Black Dog Got Silver Eyes
5. Rats in a Sack
6. This Trainwreck of a Life
7. Nowhere to Hide Now
8. When Mouths Collide
9. I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep
10. Social Lacerations

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ghostpoet   Primary Artist
Robert Stillman   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond)
Katie Dixon   Vocals
Sam Beste   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond)
Tom Herbert   Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Alua Nascimento   Percussion
Obaro Ejimiwe   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond)
Fabian Prynn   Drums
Benjamin Markham   Guitar,Vocals
Raven Bush   Strings
Sarasara   Vocals
Art School Girlfriend   Vocals
Scott Rimington   Guitar,Vocals,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Delilah Holiday   Vocals

Technical Credits

Robert Stillman   Programming,Drum Programming
Mike Marsh   Mastering
Rob Whitaker   Art Direction
Shuta Shinoda   Mixing,Engineer
Obaro Ejimiwe   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Art Direction,Drum Programming
Ben Markham   Additional Production
Raven Bush   Additional Production
Annelise Keestra   Design,Art Direction
Scott Rimington   Additional Production
Olivia Giles   Set Design
Emmet Green   Lighting
Emma Dudlyke   Photography