Because of Ghosts makes music that either connects with you, or it doesn’t. It is so abrasive and at times emotionally wild that appraising it on a normal level is simply impossible. To some people it will sound like absolute garbage; some of it is merely analogue noises with guitar string scratchings and incoherent notes. But it embraces the listener's mind on a level that is either above or below thinking objectively or rationally. That is to say, it is similar to outsider music, but with one minor difference, it has great value.

The Tomorrow We Were Promised Yesterday is a significant musical statement, not least because it is an incredibly beautiful experience for its listeners. But it is also unique, as a post-rock band that practices real economy, not only in its timbre ( a la This Is Your Captain Speaking and The Evpatoria Report), but also with pretense and lengthiness. One thing I had a problem with on Storyboard by This Is Your Captain Speaking, was that its first track was about 5 minutes too long. While I grew to enjoy this, it initially extended both the pretense of having a 17 minute song opening the album, and the tedium of some of the more roughly executed sections.There is no such extraneousness here. Every minute is vital, presenting a wide emotional palette, without the use of voice. Even using just simple guitar chords, with root notes in the bass and drums, Because of Ghosts manages to create something intensely moving, carrying a warmth that is so absent from more blatantly intellectual instrumental styles.

The way in which this album was recorded also supports the band's humble, yet effective approach to music. The whole thing was captured on analogue equipment, at several different locations. Analogue seems to bring forth a more human sound, one that captures the space in which instruments are recorded, as well as the sounds themselves. Throughout the album, Because of Ghosts's music intertwines with the analogue fuzz and stray noises (including some effective spoken samples), which gives the music a greater sense of urgency. This contrast between chaos and the synthesis of all the existing elements coming together highlights the immediacy of the music. Also, without the mask of delay and reverb that post-rock bands so often utilize, the music takes on a very honest demeanor. The guitar work is set apart further due to the freedom which it is granted on the album. It is almost an inaccuracy in some parts -- for example, in the introduction to the second track "Fall Short of Certainty." The title of the song explains this approach extremely well – it seems the album is hinting at the value of vulnerability. In an extremely bold move, Because fo Ghosts are able to coerce vulnerability and imperfection into becoming an assest along the course of the album.

And here lays the difficulty in reviewing this album. A lot of people would turn their noses up at such a daring approach, as many listeners are used to good music being accurately played all of the time. Because of Ghosts has a depth further than this, and I think this is why there is such a hubbub over this band. This is challenging music, not because it is particularly intellectual or difficult to listen to, but because it is so dramatically raw and no other band is daring enough to present music in the light that Because of Ghosts have in The Tomorrow We Were Promised Yesterday. From the chaos to the order, the dissonance to the resolution, the album provides a whole new experience in music, that subverts the normal image of post-rock. In a genre that pigeonholes itself so easily, Because of Ghosts are to be applauded for presenting music that is so challenging and off the beaten path. There is a beauty in abrasiveness that is so hard to tap in this modern world of digital perfection. Because of Ghosts have mastered it completely.

-Marcus Whale