Modern Baseball – Holy Ghost

In Britain baseball is perceived as something that is typically American which has never really caught on, so as a UK based reviewer what will I make of Modern Baseball?

Modern Baseball began life as an acoustic duo in a Maryland high school before they moved onto bigger and better things in Philadelphia. They have subsequently developed into a band with a growing reputation who have now toured on both sides of the Atlantic. This is their third album, their first for Run For Cover Records, and it demonstrates a growing confidence in themselves and their songwriting. The content of Holy Ghost varies between upbeat pop punk tunes and introspective thoughtful numbers, they remind me of The Weakerthans, but without the obsession with cats, or possibly The Killers without the overproduction.

Holy Ghost is written in two parts, the first six songs by the band’s Jacob Ewald, and the latter five by Brendan Lukens, with no disrespect to the latter, I found the first half of the album to be the more accessible on my first few listens. Both write from the heart and tell of their personal experiences and struggles, with loss and grief in the formers case, and of the strain of personal battles with mental health issues in the latter’s. This could have ended up being a recipe for a gloom laden album, but despite the dark subject matter Holy Ghost comes across as upbeat and hopeful. Despite each side of the album being written independently this doesn’t come across as two separate elements, but rather one much stronger alloy that has produced a thoughtful and well structured release. This is a more mature album than their previous releases and one that demonstrates a sincerity and honesty that is lacking in many bands writing.

 Am I a convert to Modern Baseball? well not completely, but they’ve certainly piqued my interest.