Clem Snide
THE GHOST OF FASHION
(SPINART)

Clem Snide have come a long way to get to The Ghost of Fashion, their third album. They started out as a punkish outfit in Boston 10 years ago, then moved to New York and jumped into the alterna-country scene. Sire signed them and released Your Favorite Music, their solid second album, before dropping them during a label merger.

Sire’s loss is spinART’s gain: The Ghost of Fashion is the band’s best album yet. spinART also recently reissued Your Favorite Music, and whereas that one tended toward a sarcastic deadpan attitude, Ghost livens things up a little. Melancholy humor is still the strongest weapon in the band’s arsenal, but songs like " Ice Cube " pop with big rock chords and a horn section.

Pete Fitzpatrick (of Boston’s Pee Wee Fist) adds some quirky lead guitar, banjo, and euphonium to the mix. " Joan Jett of Arc, " though it delves into ’80s kitsch, still works as a heartbreaking ballad, and " No One’s More Happy Than You " is as catchy as it is melancholy, with its well-honed sing-along chorus. There are a few points where singer/songwriter Eef Barzelay is a little too inscrutable for his own good — like the line " Calgon take me away " in " Ancient Chinese Secret Blues. " But part of Clem Snide’s charm is that they’re willing to commit moments like that to tape in the first place.

Issue Date: August 2 - 9, 2001