- Bonnaroo 2012 Artist
From Manchester, TN, and formed in 1997, I'm sincerely hoping Glossary is one of those bands I managed to miss and will now enlighten my musical life. Influences include Modest Mouse, Sonic Youth, and Neil Young, as well as '80s country music. An interesting combination there, which will hopefully make for some incredibly interesting music as a whole!
Joey, Bingham, Maggie, Jason, and Gregory were a part of the first lineup of the band, but that's changed over the years. They've had multiple albums out, and by now it looks like Joey Kneiser (frontman) and Bingham Barnes (bassist) are the only two originals remaining. They like to consider their work as alternative country, and I'd like to start considering it now.
"Trouble Won't Last Always" starts off the album. There's an old-school feel to this somehow. It's like a cool mix of Van Morrison and… man, I can't put my finger on it. There's a female voice in the harmonies, and a nifty little country piano toward the end. This is an easy-going way to start off the album, and just sings out the feeling of nice. It's just nice. Not terribly moving, not disappointing. Just nice and there.
In a nice little friend song, we get "A Shoulder To Cry On." Again, gotta say, nothing stand-outish to me here. There's a little echo effect in the bridge that creates an interesting few moments. Overall though, just a steady song with a sweet sentiment. Oh wait, we just came across a cool aspect - there are horns! Now, that's a throw-back, but interesting sound, if I've ever heard one.
"The Flood" has really got me weirded out in that I feel like I've totally heard this before. It's a completely familiar sound with a somewhat modern-sounding vocal front. Now, I'm in the middle of script distro (yes, this has been the 'Janelle listens to music while counting 100 scripts), so I may be missing the stronger elements of the music itself, but it's nice to have it there I suppose.
I feel secure in saying that "Cheap Wooden Cross" is officially where Glossary has begun to grow on me. There's this totally psychedelic sound to the guitar in the instrumental break. The lyrics are pretty interesting. The sound is groovy without being too mellow. Just a lot of really trippy (in a good way) stuff going on that I'm digging baby.
"Nothing Can Keep Me Away" slows it down. Slow dancing in a burning room style. From the get-go on this one, I can feel the romance, combined with the sleepiness. Oh man, the sleepiness. Damn script distro. Sorry, unrelated frustration.
Finally home and able to concentrate. Don't you love how I input just a slight bit of normal blog-ness into these reviews? Eh, probably not. Anywhos, "Everything Comes Back" is totally on the breeze at the start with the instrumentals, but then the voice takes over that breeze. This is sort of eery in sound, much in the same vein as "Blue Jay Way." I like where the harmonies drop out, just allowing a few more words to hit hard than they might with layering for effect.
"When We Were Wicked" intrigues me in title alone, before any sort of listening takes place. It's all I can do to not quote "We Are Young" as the song the subjects of this used to sing. It's a reflection on those good times - probably high school - being insane and free before the real world caved in. He finally gets to a point of saying the fire's still there to feel that awesome. I mean, age is just a stupid number, right? Feel awesome all the years through! Anywhos, here's a video that makes this band seem so much more fun than their mellow songs seem to show off.
"Keep It Coming" steers the album in the Red Hot Chili Peppers direction that's sort of interesting. The lead vocals take on this odd melody that usually only works for Anthony, and the guitar is harsh, breaking in every few seconds. Yet somehow, it all actually works together in its own odd way. I don't love the song as a whole, but much like RHCP's music, I just can't stop listening or wanting to float away somehow on the melodies. Damn music's weird.
Um, 1920's blues jazz on an old paler piano? That's what I'm getting from "Under A Barking Moon." Now, some folks may not understand what I mean when I say this has a great old Southern and Nashville feel, but if you've been to places like B.B. Kings or just relaxed on a porch during a Nashville summer (say, your balcony on Belmont's campus in Hillside), you may understand it. There's also this warms jokey feel, compliments of the saxophone before the two minute mark. It's a low and sweet on you just need to be taken away in. Something special is completely encased in this kind of music.
Added to My Playlist:
- "Cheap Wooden Cross"
- "When We Were Wicked"
- "Under A Barking Moon"
All right, well, I'm not moved beyond words. Clearly - I wrote a whole entry, though I feel like I may have repeated a lot. That's because there was a lot of repetition to the sound. The moments here, though, that were different, and they were pretty brilliant. So, yeah, I'll accept this new little discovery into my musical world.