Living as Ghosts With Buildings as Teeth
Living as Ghosts With Buildings as Teeth gives Rishloo's progressive rock a large emotional range. The songs move between heavy guitar passages, quieter atmosphere and rhythms that rarely stay still for long. Andrew Mailloux's voice is a strong centre, rising from a softer line into a full, theatrical delivery. The album is ambitious, but its best moments keep that scale connected to a clear feeling.
The Great Rain Beatle opens with a restless mix of sharp changes and more restrained passages. The guitar can provide weight or become part of the background atmosphere, giving the music several ways to move. Landmines makes the harder side more direct, with a busy arrangement that builds towards a strong final stretch. Both tracks establish the band's energy without using the same structure.
Dark Charade takes a longer route. Its quieter introduction and more open middle section give the later guitar hooks and rising vocals room to make an impact. The band handle the changes well enough that the length has a purpose, although it asks for more attention than a simple verse-and-chorus song. Dead Rope Machine is another effective use of restraint, with the singing bringing much of the emotional force.
The second half is generally calmer. Salutations and Radio put more emphasis on atmosphere and a gentler vocal approach, while Winslow gives the guitar more room to become active again. These changes make the album feel broader than a steady run of heavy progressive songs. The melodies remain important even when the arrangements become more complicated.
The main weakness is balance. Mailloux's strongest singing can dominate so much that the drums and other instrumental details lose some space. Some quieter tracks are also less memorable than the dramatic pieces around them. Just a Ride closes competently, but it does not reach the same level of impact as Dark Charade earlier in the sequence.
Still, Rishloo have a distinctive voice and enough strong writing to support their ambition. Living as Ghosts With Buildings as Teeth works best when the technical changes serve the song's mood, and that happens often. It is a rewarding record for listeners who want melody, atmosphere and a little unpredictability inside their guitar music.
