Holy Ghost (Modern Baseball album)

Holy Ghost is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Modern Baseball, released on May 13, 2016 on Run for Cover Records.[3] The album follows their third EP, The Perfect Cast, which was released on October 23, 2015, via Lame-O Records, as well as their sophomore studio album, You're Gonna Miss It All, released in 2014, and their compilation album, Techniques, also released in 2015.

Holy Ghost
Studio album by
Modern Baseball
ReleasedMay 13, 2016
StudioThe Headroom, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genre
Length27:24
LabelRun for Cover
ProducerJoe Reinhart
Modern Baseball chronology
MoBo Presents: The Perfect Cast
(2015)		 Holy Ghost
(2016)

Background

Holy Ghost is the first Modern Baseball album that was not recorded by the band themselves—instead, the members obtained the help of Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader). The album was recorded at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia.[8] The album is split in half between both guitarist/frontmen, Jake Ewald and Brendan Lukens (Ewald wrote the first six songs and Lukens wrote the last five).[9][10] Ewald's songs mainly revolved around the passing of his grandfather while Lukens focuses on his struggles with mental illness and depression.[11]

Release and promotion

On February 24, 2016, the album was officially confirmed. On March 3, two songs were published online for free via NPR. The first, "Everyday", was written by Jake Ewald and the second, "Apple Cider, I Don't Mind", was written by Brendan Lukens.[12] On April 4, the band released a documentary directed by actor and director Kyle Thrash entitled "Tripping in the Dark".[11] The documentary focused mainly on the formation of the band and the making of the album, including Ewald's struggle with his grandfather's death and Lukens' near suicide attempt and subsequent recovery. The video for "Wedding Singer" was released on May 5.[13]

Modern Baseball announced plans to tour on March 3, 2016, setting the first dates for shortly after the release of the new album. The tour kicked off on May 25, 2016, with Joyce Manor and Thin Lips opening. On August 3, Modern Baseball announced that they would be supporting Brand New and The Front Bottoms on tour starting in October 2016. At the conclusion of the Brand New tour, Modern Baseball will be playing a string of shows internationally.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubA-[4]
Consequence of SoundB-[5]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[6]
Pitchfork7.7/10[7]
Allmusic [8]

The album was met with universal acclaim reviews, most of them noting that Modern Baseball showed growth and maturity with the content of Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost holds a score of 81/100 on Metacritic indicating universal acclaim. On June 4, 2016, Holy Ghost reached No. 53 on the US Billboard 200.

Accolades
Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The A.V. Club's Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
14
[9]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
50
[10]

Track listing

All music is composed by Modern Baseball.

No.TitleLength
1."Holy Ghost"1:01
2."Wedding Singer"2:48
3."Note to Self"3:49
4."Mass"1:45
5."Every Day"3:04
6."Hiding"3:45
7."Coding These to Lukens"1:29
8."Breathing in Stereo"1:43
9."Apple Cider, I Don't Mind"1:57
10."What If..."2:07
11."Just Another Face"3:57

Personnel

Modern Baseball is:

  • Jacob Ewald - vocals, guitars, keyboards
  • Ian Farmer - bass, vocals, keyboards
  • Sean Huber - drums, vocals, percussion
  • Brendan Lukens - vocals, guitars

Additional Personnel:

  • Cam Boucher - Additional Vocals on "Coding These to Lukens"
  • Joe Reinhart - Production

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 26
UK Albums Chart[12] 161
US Billboard 200[13] 53
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[14] 3
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[15] 1

References
  1. pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21677-holy-ghost/
  2. "It's another huge week for album streams". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. May 13, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  3. http://www.metacritic.com/music/holy-ghost/modern-baseball
  4. Colburn, Randall (2016-05-13). "Modern Baseball grasps at the intangible on powerful, introspective Holy Ghost". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  5. "Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost; Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  6. "Holy Ghost by Modern Baseball; Album Review". The Line Of Best Fit. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  7. "Modern Baseball: Holy Ghost | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  8. Allmusic Review
  9. "The A.V. Club's Top 50 Albums of 2016". The A.V. Club. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  10. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  11. "Australiancharts.com – Modern Baseball – Holy Ghost". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  12. "CHART: CLUK Update 21.05.2016 (wk20)". zobbel.de. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  13. "Modern Baseball - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  14. "Modern Baseball - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  15. "Vinyl Albums : June 4, 2016". billboard.com. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
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