Olivia Jean’s “Raving Ghost” Mesmerizes Us With The Garage Goth
She’s the garage rocker of your dreams: Olivia Jean.
Jean has been in the business for quite a bit. As a child growing up near Detroit, she fell in love with ‘60s instrumental surf bands, learned to play guitar, and explored the city’s garage rock scene. By her teens she was already making her own music.
Ever since I was a kid, writing songs and playing guitar has been an addiction that nothing else can touch. My guitar is an appendage. I could never put my guitar down even if I tried.
~ Olivia Jean
You might remember her for her work as singer and lead singer with the “garage goth” rock Black Belles. But since Black Belles stopped in 2012, Jean soon began her own solo career by 2014 with albums like Bathtub Love Killings (2014) and Night Owl (2019).
Now she’s back with Raving Ghost. The 11-track album was released May 5 via Third Man Records. Raving Ghost covers all things dangerous, bewildering in the best way with cryptic characters. The album includes “cursed lovers, doomed souls, (and) women deliriously haunted by unseen forces” in a goth-punk and power-pop sound, all while staying true to the classic garage rock that fans know and love Jean for.
The album also features some backing from big names and skilled artists. Think My Morning Jacket keyboardist Bo Koster, Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr, and drummers Carla Azar and Patrick Keeler. Jean has high technical talent alone, so collaborating with these stars is a match made in heaven that only amps up the album’s quality.
The album also features some backing from big names and skilled artists. Think My Morning Jacket keyboardist Bo Koster, Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr, and drummers Carla Azar and Patrick Keeler. Jean has high technical talent alone, so collaborating with these stars is a match made in heaven that only amps up the album’s quality.
Raving Ghost’s first track, with the same name, is a strong start to a strong album. In the matching music video, the purple aura of flowing fog alongside pink and blue lights set the tone for a captivating experience. Jean sings along to masterly electric guitar about “raving inconsolable, uncontrollable” ghosts. It’s a steady song that packs a punch.
Be silent in the solitude, be not lonely
This for them, this for them
The spirits of the dead who stand in line to live again, live again
When death surrounds me I know their will is to fight for me and leave me still
The nights are clearer on the ground with all the stars looking down
~ “Raving Ghost”
“Too Late” marks a tone shift, with a more poppy vibe. Its synth keeps up the energy levels. Jean is right – after listening to a song like this: “It’s too late to turn back now” from the album.
Jean hooks us with a creepy start to “Spiders,” slowed down from the previous track. The lyrics are edgy and unnerving … just what Jean always delivers. She seemingly sings from the perspective of the namesake creature: “You want me dead because you don’t want me crawling in your bed. Or in your head.” The spider she sings of is uncontrollably powerful. This song had me in a trance and is sure to land well with all Olivia Jean fans — especially with the guitar solo to finish off the track.
“Trouble” is guitar-heavy and groovy, a catchy tune you’ll want to vibe along to. Jean’s “oh oh oh”s have me in a trance.
Where did you go?
I just don’t know
Now I’m in big trouble
~ “Trouble”
“I Need You” keeps up the pace, building on the album’s vitality. It’s urgent: “I need you so, please do not go. And on “Ditch,” Jean somehow nonchalantly sings the darkest of lyrics, giving instructions to “go dig a ditch.”
Naturally, “Fun” is a fun song. It’s electrifying the power Jean manages to pack into tracks like this into every single element — her voice, guitar, drums, production.
“Fate” starts off with lyrics that encapsulate how fans see Jean. The song takes a choppier beat that then builds into a faster pace.
Like the lightning in the sky
You thrill me
Riding high on the thunder and the storm
~ “Fate”
On “Orinoco Flow,” the intensity is as high as ever. This song is an Enya cover, incorporating Jean’s “garage roth” into the Irish singer-songwriter’s classic hit.
“Godmother” is soft and smooth to start before exploding into a dynamic track. To end the album, “Don’t Leave” highlights Jean’s strong instrumentals and lyricism alike.
A promise you can’t make
A madness you can’t shake
A curse with no cure, a spell you can’t break
~ “Don’t Leave”
Raving Ghost is simply to die for. The raw passion Jean emanates throughout all 11 tracks is mesmerizing. Her signature intensity is unmatched, and for garage goth fanatics or casual listeners, the album’s fervor is hypnotizing.
Jean brings her explosive artistry and raw passion to all her live performances. Lucky for fans, she has announced an extensive tour, stretching across The States through June 16. Or, you can catch her at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Sept. 15 at one of the largest independently owned music festivals in America. Earlier in May, she excelled onstage at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Don’t miss out on any more of these high-energy shows. So check out the schedule now and buy tickets on her website.
Stay connected by following our favorite garage goth rock artist Olivia Jean on her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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