Former Ghosts
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Former Ghosts is a project of Freddy Ruppert, former member of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I, with loose collaborations from multiple people including
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. Past live incarnations have included Jherek Bischoff and Sam Mickens. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this project. The title of the debut, ''Fleurs'', is a reference to the white-flowered iris ('' Iris germanica'').


Formation

From an interview, Ruppert explained the formation of the band:


Critical reception

''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' said the debut single, "Hold On", "sounds like what might've happened to
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
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Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown Pleasures'' (197 ...
had bought a Casio and a four-track and fired the rest of the band."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave ''Fleurs'' 3.5/5 stars and said that "Former Ghosts evoke isolation with a fearlessness that few of their peers can match." The blog Fingers Become Thumbs listed ''Fleurs'' as their album of the year (2009), stating: "In all seriousness, this is a dark and intense record in which Ruppert really puts himself out there, so much so that even listening to it can be emotionally draining. In saying that, by the standards of its members its by no means a ‘difficult’ listen, and in fact was intended to be the synth-pop side-project of Freddy and Jamie." Prefixmag.com found ''Fleurs'' to be "intermittently brilliant", but felt it could "benefit greatly from more collaboration and judicious editing of the track list".


Discography

* '' Fleurs'' (2009) * '' New Love'' (2010) * ''Split 7" with Funeral Advantage'' (2015)


Music videos

* ''Hold On'' (dir. Amir Shoucri
watch
* ''Flowers'' (dir. Paul Rodriguez
watch
* ''Taurean Nature'' (dir. Amir Shoucri
watch


References


External links

*
Freddy Ruppert's blog

Official Myspace

Last.fm page

Interview with L.A. Record

Fleurs review at prefixmag.com

Sputnik Music Review
{{Authority control American noise rock music groups