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Red State Soundsystem

Ghosts in a Burning City

Red State Soundsystem, Ghosts in a Burning City

“The telephone rings in the dark/You say, ‘Hey, I’m at the White Cross on Las Vegas Boulevard.’” It might be the coolest Vegas insider’s reference since Joe Kendall went Larry’s Great Western Meats on us on four years ago on Whiskey Flats. But where that was the score to a film never made, Ghosts in a Burning City plays like the soundtrack to an actual here and now. It’s a Las Vegas album for real Las Vegans ... at least those who despair over their surroundings.

“We’re the patron saints of rented cars and last goodbyes in airport bars,” Red Statesman Joshua Ellis offers on standout opening cut “Scatterlings + Refugees” in a half-husky delivery somewhat reminiscent of Peter Gabriel. The darkness gathers from there: “Why don’t we burn down this fucking town?/I’ve just seen too much to care.”

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Red State Soundsystem

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Red State Soundsystem

Bruised cabaret singers and fallen war heroes notwithstanding, Ghosts isn’t all gravity and gloom; Ellis’ frequent electronic flourishes let in some sunlight, though maybe not enough to brighten his mood. “One day I will find the guts to leave this desert town,” he sings, “And seek a new Jerusalem with no one else around.” Wild guess, he won’t be on the Strip for New Year’s Eve.