Pale Green Ghosts
Pale Green Ghosts is the second solo album by former The Czars frontman John Grant, released on March 11, 2013 on the Bella Union label.[13] Pale Green Ghosts was recorded in Reykjavík, Iceland with Icelandic electronic musician Birgir Þórarinsson (a.k.a. Biggi Veira) of electro-pop group Gus Gus, and also features a range of local musicians on the album as well as Sinéad O'Connor singing backing vocals.[13]
| Pale Green Ghosts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop, soft rock | |||
| Length | 60:40 | |||
| Label | Bella Union | |||
| Producer | Birgir Þórarinsson (a.k.a. Biggi Veira) and John Grant | |||
| John Grant chronology | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.3/10[1] | 
| Metacritic | 83/100[2] | 
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| The Daily Telegraph | |
| The Guardian | |
| The Independent | |
| Mojo | |
| NME | 8/10[8] | 
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[9] | 
| Q | |
| Record Collector | |
| Uncut | 8/10[12] | 
The title refers to the Russian olive trees that stand along the I-25 highway near Grant's family home in the small town of Parker, Colorado.[14]
The track "Pale Green Ghosts" includes a string arrangement inspired by the second movement of Prelude in C-sharp minor by Rachmaninoff.[15]
Pale Green Ghosts was chosen as Album of the Year 2013 by Rough Trade.[16]
Track listing
    
All tracks are written by John Grant.
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pale Green Ghosts" | 6.04 | 
| 2. | "Black Belt" | 4.18 | 
| 3. | "GMF" | 5.13 | 
| 4. | "Vietnam" | 5.29 | 
| 5. | "It Doesn't Matter to Him" (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) | 6.27 | 
| 6. | "Why Don't You Love Me Anymore" (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) | 6.10 | 
| 7. | "You Don't Have To" | 5.51 | 
| 8. | "Sensitive New Age Guy" | 4.40 | 
| 9. | "Ernest Borgnine" | 4.53 | 
| 10. | "I Hate This Town" | 4.01 | 
| 11. | "Glacier" (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) | 7.34 | 
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Belt (Hercules and Love Affair Remix)" | 7.48 | 
| 2. | "Black Belt (Gluteus Maximus Vocal Remix)" | 8.24 | 
| 3. | "Pale Green Ghosts (NIVOLT Remix)" | 5.20 | 
| 4. | "Pale Green Ghosts (NO CEREMONY /// Remix)" | 4.48 | 
| 5. | "Why Don't You Love Me (NIVOLT Remix)" | 5.48 | 
| 6. | "Why Don't You Love Me (Bon Homme Remix)" | 7.39 | 
Personnel
    
- John Grant – Lead vocals, Synth programming
 - Chris Pemberton – Piano
 - Sinéad O'Connor - Backing vocals
 - Arnar Geir Ómarsson - Drums
 - McKenzie Smith - Drums
 - Jakob Smári Magnússon - Bass 3,10
 - Paul Alexander - Bass
 - Pétur Hallgrímsson - Guitar
 - Óskar Gudjónsson – Saxophone
 - Birgir Þórarinsson (a.k.a. Biggi Veira) - Synth programming
 
References
    
- "Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
 - "Reviews for Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
 - Monger, James Christopher. "Pale Green Ghosts – John Grant". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
 - Brown, Helen (March 19, 2013). "John Grant, Pale Green Ghost, album review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
 - Petridis, Alexis (March 7, 2013). "John Grant: Pale Green Ghosts". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
 - Montgomery, Hugh (March 9, 2013). "CD of the week: Album: John Grant, Pale Green Ghosts (Bella Union)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
 - "John Grant: Pale Green Ghosts". Mojo (233): 86. April 2013.
 - Levine, Nick (March 8, 2013). "John Grant – 'Pale Green Ghosts'". NME. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
 - Hopper, Jessica (May 16, 2013). "John Grant: Pale Green Ghosts". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
 - "John Grant: Pale Green Ghosts". Q (321): 112. April 2013.
 - Staunton, Terry (April 2013). "John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts". Record Collector (413). Retrieved May 6, 2019.
 - Mulholland, Garry (March 21, 2013). "John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts". Uncut. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
 - Lynskey, Dorian (March 3, 2013). "John Grant: 'I wanted to let some of the anger out'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
 - Cragg, Michael (January 22, 2013). "New music: John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts (No Ceremony Remix)". The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
 - "Rachmaninoff remixed: one composer's enduring influence". London Philharmonic Orchestra. 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015.
 - "Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2013". Rough Trade. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
 
