On The Way
Freeway, 2019
8/10
Spearheaded by Gordon Tichell, the former Los Angeles resident moved to Luxembourg and formed The Hollywood Freeway Ghosts, who tackle some fiery rock’n’roll, but not without Americana, jazz and even indie-rock influences in their varied formula.
“Lake” starts the listen with crickets and ambience before keys, strings and horns enter the soulful formula, and “Last Mile” follows with a punchy pop-rock delivery where rhythm and melody flow in spades.
Deeper into the listen, “Flying” glides with soothing alt-country sensibilities amid a breezy delivery that might remind you of The Jayhawks, while “Richer Than You” offers warm acoustic strumming alongside some ‘90s modern rock nods not unlike The Lemonheads.
At the end, “Super Star” finds itself in a busy display of soaring, textured alt-rock that’s so well done it alone is worth the price of admission, and “On The Way” ends the listen with horns and whistling in a playful finish to an extremely adventurous record.
In a time with endless self-promotion available, there’s a bit of obscurity surrounding The Hollywood Freeway Ghosts. Perhaps it’s best to let the music do the talking anyway, and here it speaks volumes about their eclectic and strong song craft that sounds quite refreshing in a time with so much of the same old same old.
Travels well with: The Persian Leaps- Electrical Living; The Rails- Cancel The Sun