:: Counting Crows - Films About Ghosts (The Best Of)

Counting Crows

‘Films About Ghosts’ is an apt title for the ‘Best Of’ offering from 10-year veterans the Counting Crows, because it sounds like the greatest soundtrack ever made! The Crows are excellent storytellers, each melody built around a strong narrative that enchants the mind with characters that seem to live and breathe before us. The music is a fantastic conspirator, playing the chemistry of body and mind to perfection, for a high and low experience that will leave you humming, clapping or sitting in quiet contemplation. As a whole the album is a sturdy construction, showing off the writing prowess that has given the band a wide and dedicated following. There are of course the obligatory inclusions of their best-known songs, including the massive ‘Mr. Jones’, and the recent cover of the Joni Mitchell classic ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. However, unlike many best of releases, the hits are not the basis, but merge seamlessly with the rest to create one succinct story. Listening to ‘Films About Ghosts’ is like sitting down to read a book minus all the effort. Chapter marks to take note of include ‘A Long December’, a track that demands you slow down and give it some attention, and the irresistible good vibes of ‘Hanginaround’. Two others that stand out predominantly and cry for attention are ‘Anna Begins’ and ‘Holiday In Spain’, the finest ballads you are ever likely to hear. What makes this record is that its not just a few moderately popular songs complied together for quick profit. As a band that is fiercely committed to making great music, ‘Films About Ghosts’, is exactly what is to be expected, simply brilliant.