Blindness & Light Breathes New Life into Kristin Hersh’s ‘Your Ghost’
Introducing ‘Your Ghost,’ the latest single from Blindness & Light, a collective rooted in the post-punk and indie scene of North Wales and the North of England. This latest release marks their transition to complete creative autonomy, bidding farewell to their previous producer and embracing self-production. Led by Colin M Potter’s soulful vocals and ethereal instrumentation, ‘Your Ghost’ pays homage to Kristin Hersh’s classic and delves into the intertwining realms of memory and music.
As a big fan of the original track, I was looking forward to hearing how the intimate simplicity of the original would be toyed with… for want of a better word. Immediately, Blindness & Light’s version maintains this intimacy, primarily through the emotive sounding vocal that Colin brings to the track. The bass adds depth to the strummed acoustic while the choice of vocal phrasing and new melodic nuances tell me that while they are doffing their caps, this rendition is not merely a carbon copy.
The drums gently join in as verse 2 progresses before we reach the chorus, and things pick up with the addition of a second vocal. I was wondering how this would be handled because the original sees Kristin joined by Michael Stipe (REM), creating a very distinctive sound and effect as their voices blend beautifully. Blindness & Light handle it well, but it’s a tough act to follow. However, smartly, instead of trying to imitate the moment, they utilise the full instrumentation at hand to make it effective in a different way – the drums are more pronounced now, the bass steadier, and the second vocal serves as a tool to add a new layer and elevate the song beyond the verse. It’s been a nice build so far.
This steadier rhythm now continues into the third verse, and the next chorus adds a synth layer and some extra vocals to ensure that things are still moving along and augmenting as the track progresses. Then, as we hit the next section—not really a middle 8 or bridge as such, but more an extension of the chorus into a fully grown outro—Colin really hits his stride in the upper end of his vocal range. I really, really like the different accent and the rawness to his voice. The track suddenly becomes more Blindness & Light’s than Kristin Hersh’s, and you can feel how comfortable Colin is when he offers his own ad-libbed ending.
Longer than the original, but still, the song flies by in the blink of an eye, which tells me that Blindness & Light have successfully done what the song needed, albeit in a different way. Both versions start simply, grow, and develop into something quite extraordinary by the end. And, while I will always adore the acoustic simplicity of the original, I really enjoyed this indie pop/rock version as well. Especially as the ethos was the same. The band ‘toyed’ (that word again), but they showed the utmost respect. Top work!
In summary, Blindness & Light’s rendition of ‘Your Ghost’ is a refreshing new take on Kristin Hersh’s classic. With thoughtful instrumentation and Colin’s soulful vocals, they honour the original while adding their own indie pop/rock flavour. Be sure to check it out and keep up to date with all things Blindness & Light via the following links:
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