Ghost Woman’s Anne, If was released in January 2023 on the Full Time Hobby label. Following 2022’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut, Anne, If picks up where that album left off. The music was written/recorded/performed by multi-instrumentalist Evan Uschenko on a Tascam 388 tape recorder in a large, expansive house. The press release states that when recording the album there was not much to do “except record music, watch old VHS movies, and cook meals over an open fire in the backyard.” Recording songs at different times of day also influenced the sounds and nuances present on Anne, If. Influences such as songs from 60s garage Nuggets compilation, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Love, Safe As Milk-era Captain Beefheart, Can, Neu!, and 60s Kinks/The Creation all float around in the musical atmosphere of these songs, however, these all add to the chemistry of the songs to expand Ghost Woman’s sound.
“Welcome” offers a short introduction to the album before “Broke” starts with its dusty, yet fuzzy grooves. As the bass and drums roll in, crunchy guitars and Uschenko’s ethereal vocals sit atop with lyrics such as “Oh, there was some I would call on/You exist on the phone,” and “Another day gone/What if I lose it all/Another day alone/And if I lose it all,” themes of disconnection, loneliness, self doubt and a sense of yearning present themselves, in between searing guitar solos. “3 Weeks Straight” continues with the 60s sounding guitars, heavy drums and deep bass grooves hold down the beat, while lyrically the song searches for meaning in the complex glow of the light and darkness of a relationship. The chorus of “I can feel you under my skin” creeps and crawls with an eeriness emphasizing a presence that is omnipresent. “Anne, If” pulls from the large pool of garage psych sounds of the Nuggets compilation with a touch of The Yardbirds as lyrically, “Anne, if you're lonely/Listen to your words/There's nothing I can say/Living yesterday” deals with nostalgic complications that are hard to break free of, while the chorus juxtaposes this with the words “I am yours/I am yours too.” “Street Meet” offers a short instrumental break as is moves forward with propelling, Can and Neu! influenced rhythms, “The End of a Gun” was the lead off single for Anne, If. With its chiming 12-string guitar growing out of The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane mould, garage rhythms from The Kinks and flashes of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young harmonies, this driving track seems to operate like a time warp while also peering into the present.
On Anne, If we are presented with music that was described as being created during a “strange new chapter” in Uschenko’s life. The songs that we gravitate towards on this album feature lyrics that are sometimes cryptic and open ended. It is something that travels with you after and during each listen. If this was a strange new chapter for Uschenko, then we are also a part of it by extension of this album. With Anne, If the music is saturated with an analog warmth and feel that provides nuanced musical moments that pull you into the world that it creates.
Continue reading for an interview that Revolution Rock did with Evan Uschenko:
RR: The press release for Anne, If said the album was made “living in a large, expansive house with nothing to do except record music, watch old VHS movies, and cook meals over an open fire in the backyard.” What type of movies did you watch on VHS and do you feel that recording in this way (sort of isolated) informed the songwriting at all for this album? Did it differ from how you recorded the 2022 self-titled album?
EU: “Cannibal Holocaust” on repeat.
RR: How do you approach songwriting in general? When you come up with songs is it usually in the same way or does it differ from track to track?
EU: I basically have mini-strokes and psychotic episodes. I always keep microphones placed around any room I inhabit for longer than 48 hours.
RR: You mentioned during interviews salvaging and replacing instruments from various spaces, including burned down rehearsal spaces and broken down vans. What sort of equipment were you able to retrieve?
EU: You ever play that game called “telephone”? It’s kinda like that.
RR: Where did you come up with the name for the project? Does the idea of hauntings influence the way you write lyrics or record your sounds?
EU: “Ghost woman” is probably the worst band name ever conjured. Any name replacement recommendations are welcomed.
RR: How did you assemble your touring band? What do they offer to the sound of Ghost Woman? What do you see being the most noticeable difference in the project's live sound and sound on record?
EU: The most noticeable difference is: Live, the music actually sounds good.
RR: Another aspect of Ghost Woman that isn’t talked about as much is your music videos. Maybe you can talk about what inspired you to make the videos for “Broke” from Anne, If and “Behind Your Eyes” from the first album? Perhaps you could tell us a bit about these songs origins?
EU: "Broke" was produced by Bruce the Rabbit, who is in the music video actually. He was passed out in front of our Belgian home when we found him. We brought him in and tried to nurse him back to health. He ended up just raiding the cupboards and draining all our bottles. The video is something that he made when we had gone out to see some friends. I guess he had access to my computer and found a way send the video to various buyers. Safe to say, we don’t keep in contact with him much anymore.
“Behind your eyes” video was a single roll of exposed Kodak film stock that was mysteriously left in my family P.O. Box somewhere in western Canada. I had access to a dark room and processed the film one evening as a means to avoid drinking. I shelved it because of the horrific nature of the film. There are about 10 mins of footage on that reel that should never see the light of day, but instead I figured I would use the band as a platform to release the less disturbing footage. If anyone has any information on anybody in that video, please contact the band at ggghostwoman@gmail.com
RR: Anne, If features a few contributions from other musicians. Nick Hay appears on lead vocals for “Tripped” and Ryan “Skinny” Dyck provides pedal steel on “Lo Extrano.” How did they become involved in these tracks in this way?
EU: They wouldn’t leave the house when I asked them to. So naturally I figured they wanted to stay. I had a windowless room that I would keep them in and feed them a bowl of unwashed chickpeas a day until they performed the take I was pleased with.
RR: Ghost Woman has toured Europe quite a bit. Are there any plans for any US/Canadian dates in the future and what is next for Ghost Woman?
EU: Yes. What’s next? I wanna know who’s on first.
Show 988 Playlist (Originally Aired On May 20th, 2023)(Ghost Woman, James Brown, The Smiths):
2. Knitting - Fix
3. Amos the Kid - Under Thin Eye Lids
4. King Krule - Seaforth
5. James Brown - Introduction/I’ll Go Crazy
6. James Brown - Lost Someone
7. The Smiths - This Charming Man (John Peel Session)
8. The Smiths - London
9. The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? (John Peel Session)
10. The Smiths - Oscillate Wildly
11. Bob Dylan - Watching the River Flow (Live)
12. William Tyler & The Impossible - Our Lady of the Desert
13. Ryan Hicks - Surf Rider
14. Tea Leaves - Creature on a Stage
15. Atomic 7 - Skynyrd
16. Olivia Jean - Raving Ghost
17. Pretty Matty - Harder 2 Smile
18. Ghost Woman - The End of a Gun
19. Ghost Woman - Lo Extrano
20. Ghost Woman - Down Again
21. Ghost Woman - Dead & Gone
22. Mudhoney - Flush the Fascists
23. Subway Sect - Ambition
24. Osees - Intercepted Message
To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the May 20 file to download/stream the episode.
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