In Ghostland, Goblin Market founder Jeff Kelly and his new partner-in-crime Laura Weller explore gothic themes of a truer nature. Gothic, of course, implies both the romantic and the grotesque. And so we find Kelly and Weller exploring the cemeteries of “Highgate,” waking from nightmares of Rossetti and walking through Poe’s Valley of Shadows in “El Dorado.”
Everything about the album feels accomplished, from its influences to its harmonies to its beautiful color booklet. The working method is to set the poems of Poe, Rossetti, Emily Bronte and Elizabeth Siddal to haunting, mostly acoustic music. Kelly and Weller each contribute original songs as well, and it’s almost difficult to distinguish them. As players in a period piece, they are perfectly cast.
In an age where bands take five year hiatuses between albums, Jeff Kelly stands out as a prolific exception. His latest solo offering, Indiscretion, is a lovely probe into romantic obsession and Catholic guilt. His psych-pop group The Green Pajamas have found considerable success, and his work here achieves both a different sound and a different mood than the rest of his oeuvre.
Weller is a newer discovery, but she more than holds her own. Like Kelly, she delivers a haunting lead vocal, and her voice harnesses a greater power than her bandmate’s. All three of her originals are solid material, and her interpreation of Siddal’s “At Last” is the album’s catchiest track (and one of its best).
For his part, Kelly accomplishes what no English professor ever could: giving me an appreciation for the work of Emily Bronte. As expected, his originals all hit the target, especially the exquisitely written “My Elizabeth.” The multi-instrumentalist leans heavily toward his folk influences, although his edgier side comes out in tracks like “My Nightmare.” Indiscretion is a damned good album, too, but Ghostland finds even darker depths, with pre-Raphaelite painters and poets guiding the tour.
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