* En anglais uniquement
One would reasonably expect a band called
Ghost Buffalo from the hippie-friendly confines of northern Colorado to be yet another set of trustafarian jam band freaks providing sub-
Phish background music for all one's hacky sacking and noodle-dancing needs. In fact, the Denver quintet is an odd mixture of alt-country twang and doomy post-punk, as if
Gillian Welch and
David Rawlings had reorganized themselves as a
Siouxsie and the Banshees tribute act. Siren-voiced blonde guitarist Marie Litton is the band's musical and visual focal point, strongly resembling
Lone Justice-era
Maria McKee in both. Litton's romantic partner, guitarist
Matt Bellinger (formerly of Denver emo rockers
Planes Mistaken for Stars, alongside
Ghost Buffalo's original drummer Mike Ricketts) provides the doomy, gothy side of the band's personality, leavened by Josh Coyle's folky acoustic guitar. Bassist Tom Ventura anchored the band's original lineup, which formed in 2003, but by the time
Ghost Buffalo's self-titled debut album was recorded in the fall of 2005, Ricketts had been replaced by new drummer Andy Thomas. Shortly after
Ghost Buffalo's release, the lineup changed yet again: Coyle, Ventura, and Thomas all left the band in 2006. A new four-piece lineup found Litton and
Bellinger supported by bassist
James Richie and drummer Brian Polk. ~ Stewart Mason