The compositions on GHOSTS IN A SEASON sound like some wonderful collaboration between Roger McGuinn, Randy Newman, and Moon Martin. Aram goes off on all sorts of topics here. Perhaps the strangest is "Hey Dave," wherein the narrator runs into Dave, who "...shot the woman I love/left her for dead/emptied out her savings/at the A.T.M..."; and yet, Aram understands why! This is a deceptively simple song, open to a number of different interpretations, not all of them pleasant. Maybe NONE of them are pleasant. "Indian Summer" is addressed to a lover, long-gone --- possibly in more ways than one --- but very close at hand in memory. This --- as are many of Aram's other tunes in GHOSTS IN A SEASON --- is a haunting song. There are layers upon layers within the lyrics of Aram's songs, and while the melodies are not always the equal of the lyrics, each song, to varying degrees, is memorable in its own way. The standout on the CD, however, is the opening track, "Bluefish, " a gentle but uneasy rocker that opens with the lines "Sew some buttons on the shirt she gave you years ago/keep it in a box in a secret place" and grows from there into an account of unrequited love. It is extremely easy to get stuck on "Bluefish," to the exclusion of the other songs on GHOST OF A SEASON. This would be unfortunate; while not all of the other tunes are as accessible, as "Bluefish," they are all worthwhile.

GHOSTS IN A SEASON is a fine sophomore followup to EAST OF WESTERN, and a testament to Aram's ability to hew a fine CD out of a block of significant and troubling adversity. This guy is worth watching, and worth listening to. His vision, though occasionally troubling, is riveting. Anything he does in the future will, like GHOSTS IN A SEASON, be worth checking out again and again.