Ghost Mice - The Fairy War

Ghost Mice's The Fairy War is a limited edition LP (1000 pressing) released earlier this year by small-but-growing Virginia label Valiant Death Records. The thirteen tracks collected here aren't exclusive or even new; the record pulls all its tracks from three splits of which Ghost Mice has been a part of over the past two or three years--one with Saw Wheel, the next with Defiance, Ohio, and the most recent with Pretty Hot. If the folk-punk scene has a heart, it's certainly Chris Johnston. His role as one-half of Ghost Mice, the owner of Plan-It-X Records, and almost innumerable other bands and projects along the way has helped to spark a nationwide movement, albeit a small one. The idealism is a welcome one, and Johnston's commitment to anarchism, friendship, simple living and loving life is rarely if ever expressed more plainly or loudly. Of course, Ghost Mice isn't for everyone. Those of you who favor clean recording, musical expertise, precise harmonizing and staying in key probably won't find much to appreciate about The Fairy War. But for those of you who can connect to a band's honesty and sincerity, and hold those traits above all else, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better band. All acoustic (the band has played live with amplification only twice, or so they say), aided by Hannah's violin and the occasional guest, Ghost Mice's music is supplemented mainly by the ideas in the songs, and the integrity of how the band does business. Johnston's motto for his label is "If it ain't cheap, it ain't punk," and sells his releases for five bucks. I won't do a rundown on the tracks here, since most of the material has been tackled in past releases. Plus, there's not enough variety make something like that necessary anyway. "The Devil and My Family" carries on the folk tradition of family and mortality, while "Free Pizza for Life" invokes dumpster-diving, and love songs crop up in the form of "Boy Meets Girl" and "I'll Be Happy." "The Good Life" is the ultimate ode to the real simple life, taking care of one another, and being totally free: "I wish I was a bumble bee/I wish I lived to serve my queen/flying from flower to flower each day/and I'd dance if I had something to say/everybody working to feed our babies/such a simple and honest community/not making money, just making honey..." Download "Boy Meets Girl" [here] [www.valiantdeath.com]