LISTEN: Chief Ghoul Unveils “I’ll Be There”
LISTEN: Chief Ghoul Unveils “I’ll Be There”
Prepare to enter into a pool of introspection.
Words By: Bre Offenberger
Chief Ghoul, the stage name of Lee Miles, has released “I’ll Be There,” the latest single from his forthcoming sixth album, These Lycanthropic Blues, due out June 4. The folksy track is a brooding puddle of thought, manifesting philosophies of the risks we take for the people we love.
“I’ll Be There” commences with a spellbinding guitar riff that’s heightened by an atmospheric lap steel. Chief Ghoul appears with vocals that are as deep as an endless cave, revealing that even through the obstacles that come his way, he will always find a way to be there for someone who needs him — especially for the one he loves most. After another rip of the lap steel, he turns the question around, asking his partner if they’d do anything for him as well. Chief Ghoul never thought he would get to this low of a point in his life, but he needs his partner to be his crutch, to take his thoughts to a better place so he can forgo the darkness of his mindset for a little while. The guitar, as gloomy as his perception of himself, continues even when his words cannot. A heap of drums help fade out the track — but it concludes with no hope in sight for him.
Of the single, Chief Ghoul shares: “‘I’ll Be There’ is a sort of love song. Imagery and vibes in my head are those of classic gothic literature like Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. Lyrically, I wanted to compare and contrast mundane issues with apocalyptic events.”
The track follows up lead single “Let’s Go,” a more cheery track sonically yet it still packs a punch with its desolate, poetic lyricism. The nine-track These Lycanthropic Blues sees Chief Ghoul channel his Kentucky roots while merging his experience of diving deeper into the blues scene of Chicago as well as Americana. He’s always worked to combine personal experiences with hard-hitting instrumentals, though, kicking off his career as Chief Ghoul around a decade ago. A handful of decades later, he’s honed that and is ready to deliver his sixth consecutive golden album. Taking after folk and blues legends Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and more while also building off 2019’s 1892, Chief Ghoul is set on making his forthcoming release more compact, thought-provoking and stirring than ever thought possible.
