[rating=4.00]
Rajon Rondo is a sneaky quick beanpole of a point guard who confidently captained his Boston Celtics past my beloved Cleveland Cavaliers in this past year’s NBA playoffs. While the Celtics’ Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen have received most of the praise and accolades for the Celtics recent renaissance, it was the unheralded Rondo who had his coming out party this past spring and catapulted the Celtics past some higher seeds and into the NBA Finals. Watching Rondo cut, spin, and drive his way up and down the court at breakneck speed over the course of six games, I couldn’t help but appreciate the star in the making and wish that his infectious spirit and ability would rub off a bit on my sleepy team. Although they are not referencing the Celtic, Austin, Texas’ Ghostland Observatory borrow Rondo’s name for their most recent release, Codename: Rondo, and have created a quick, concise bundle of energy that captures the hoopster’s on court manic pace while looking to shine a brighter national light on the band’s profile.
Described in the press as “Freddie Mercury helms Daft Punk”, Ghostland Observatory makes the kind of music that would do those acts proud. Singer Aaron Behrens hits the falsettos and shimmies across the stage (and presumably the studio) as if he were auditioning for the role of the late Queen leader. Behrens’ cohort, Thomas Ross Turner anchors Behrens’ vocals to a minimalistic, pulsating groove that, like Daft Punk, is versatile enough to rock outdoor festivals, indie rock venues, and trendy dance clubs. The frenetic energy translates well to the new disc as the lead track, “Glitter” propels itself through the speakers with a driving drum track soon joined by a full on Moog assault. Behrens enters the fray rocking out some spirited “Whoo-hoos!” while a clean electric guitar solo echoes his voice. With that, Ghostland Observatory are off and running, leading a fast break charge through the course of ten songs clocking in at a crisp 34 minutes, slowing the pace just briefly for the spoken-word title track, in which the sketchy details of shady urban transaction are related, and the album’s closers, “Mama” and “Kick Clap Speaker”.
Like Rondo hitting some clutch free throws down the stretch of Game Six, Ghostland Observatory put an exclamation point on a fine album by taking a breath and allowing the listener to bask a bit in the tremendous performance just executed. It is in these last two tracks that Ghostland Observatory sort of resemble The Flaming Lips, another wacky and unorthodox act that nimbly mix rock and electronica to a rousing success. Whereas, The Flaming Lips latest release oozed a dark and brooding vibe throughout, Codename: Rondo, conversely keeps it predominantly sunny, serving lyrical musings as a side note to the ultimate purpose of shaking it to the groove. It’s a challenge to get through this album sitting down and I imagine that is just what Behrens and Turner envisioned. Just like Rajon Rondo ran circles around NBA defenses last year, so too will his namesake of an album run through your head and leave you in wonder and awe.
