On their latest album entitled The Strangest Colored Lights, 13ghosts covers such a wide range of genres that your iTunes will most likely just leave that column blank. The Birmingham, AL based sextet seems to approach their music with the idea that no single style could possibly convey their emotions. The bands fourth release draws on styles ranging from folk (“Soon When I’m Gone”), bluegrass (“Photographs”), and indie-rock (“Beyond the Door”).They become somewhat reminiscent of Badly Drawn Boy using electronic, recorded, and looped sounds. Unlike them though the music of 13ghosts possesses an overall darker sound, undoubtedly influenced by the 1998 suicide of their band member Thomas Rhodes. The Strangest Colored Lights ultimately feels like an amusement ride composed of well-placed turns, jarring stops, and harsh upturns. It never allows the undercurrent of tension to escalate out of control, but manages to remain an enjoyable experience.

- Jonathan Mason