GHOST MICE are a folk-punk duo consisting of a Chris and a Hannah and 'Europe' is a concept album based on a trip through Europe they took in 2000. So there's 11 'songs' all named after the particular country or water channel they visited. In itself a cool idea but in this case executed downright poorly. First off guys, if you want to get to know a country you do not visit the big capital cities, since half of the population there exists of foreigners and tourists anyway. So maybe it's because of me being a Dutchie myself that I get mighty annoyed at yet another bunch of Yanks going "Aaaamsterdaaaaaam/We were going to Aaaamsterdaaaaaam". *yawn* Guys, Amsterdam does not represent the whole of The Netherlands, OK? The same goes for France. If you want to know something about France and the people who live there you do not go to Paris. The difference between Paris and the rest of the country could not be bigger, comprendes? Reading some of the lyrics makes me wonder why they bothered to make the trip anyway. In Switzerland they talk about army knives and edelweiss and Italy? Well, pizza of course!

Excuse me while I stifle another yawn. I have to say it's nice of them to visit Dresden and refer to Kurt Vonnegut's excellent book "Slaughterhouse 5" but at the same time it makes me wonder what the recently deceased author would have written about a European trip.

Surely it would have been more interesting than the tepid non-observations of GHOST MICE, who apparently have not much more to say then "and then we did this... and then we did that... and then we went there..." and who seem mostly concerned with whether they have to pay for something or not. Guys, I actually know people who travel around the world regularly and they support their trips by doing the odd job here and there! Being 'punk' does not mean you have to be lazy cheapskates! And yeah, I know this sounds unfriendly but the least they could have done was make a musically interesting record but even that's not the case. The half-assed rambling acoustic 'music' on this CD with its whiney, grating 'vocals' is nothing more than a vehicle for the incredibly boring non-stories they have to tell. Europe deserves better than this!

- Van Hoften

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