Dead Man's Bones

Dead Man’s Bones (or “Ryan Goslings Band,” as they are referred to by most) are not an easy act to catch live. But if you ever got the chance, you’d be an absolute fool to miss them.
The duo that make up the band (Gosling plus Zach Shields, who met in 2005) bonded over their mutual love of ghosts and spooky stories and so, as their name suggests, they decided to base their musical project on just that. The results of this thematic approach were less in the vein of the usual ghosts and zombie-obsessed death-core metal acts and more along the lines of naïve, kitsch and 50s-inspired indie rock. A relief for the majority of Gosling’s fan base, no doubt. Late 2009 saw the release of their self-titled album and a handful of live shows: the former featured support vocals from a local children’s choir, Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir and the latter, guest support from local children’s choirs in respective cities. If that isn’t something to keep Gosling’s reputation as the perfect man alive, not to mention a recipe for the cutest take on ghost inspired material, then I do not know what is. Collecting and showcasing weird and wonderful local talent along the way, Dead Man’s Bones’ live shows are a delightful melting pot of everything spooky and special. Tracks like “My Body’s A Zombie For You” and “Pa Pa Power” are definite favourites. The deliverance of the band’s music is always completely on track, too; something that could have been lost amongst all the quirks and theatrics of the band’s creative vision. With their album recorded in a very un-produced and honest way, the live tracks sound uncannily alike to the recorded songs; that is, aside from the variation in the backing vocals!
Although I doubt very much that it would be Dead Man’s Bones’ style to resurrect this project again, if ever the chance did arise to experience this live event, I wholeheartedly recommend it.