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Rating: Joh Mirisola, Micah Wilson, Michael Foye, and Jared Deame are the minds behind one of the most promising Post-Rock projects of recent times. Am I exaggerating? I don't think so because these Glass America, originating from Massachusetts (to be precise, from Wenham, near Boston) seem to shine with their own light that could lead them to well-deserved success.
The four, under contract with Driven Records, with whom they produced the 2008 album titled “Redivivus,” are devoted to a warm Post-Rock influenced by Ambient music and that genre called Americana that seems to have characterized the teenage listening of these promising musicians. On their Facebook page, they say they appreciate bands like Sigur Ros, Caspian, Anathallo. All stuff that surely influenced them, but don't think of it as an attempt to mimic others: Glass America has a nice personal style, intimate, and enveloping.
Listening to “Darkly EP,” you realize you're in front of a heartfelt work, made with heart, well-constructed, where nothing is left to chance. The four tracks are extremely cohesive with each other, forming an indivisible whole best enjoyed when listened to all at once. The pieces are presented in this order: “Entropy,” “Still,” “Swell,” and “Cauda, a Reprise.” It is not a random setlist; as said, everything is skillfully organized; with “Entropy,” the four progressively catapult us into their somewhat anguished world, starting slowly and then giving free rein to guitars and drums in a finale that could be called a masterpiece. The vocals are very measured, almost sparing, both in this piece and the next, “Still,” equally beautiful and poetic. The protagonists are the instruments, which, even without being heavily supported by vocals, manage to brilliantly express the message dear to Glass America: despite all the difficult circumstances in life, there is always hope.
“Swell” is an entirely instrumental track that does not miss a beat in the album but continues the work of the first two pieces perfectly and adds brightness to a work that collectively evokes images of American beaches when the wind blows in the evening, perhaps the very ones from where Glass America hails, those areas near Boston unknown and ignored by those seeking the glamour of big cities. “Cauda, a Reprise,” last but not least, is the perfect acoustic crowning of the disc and makes these four young overseas men feel a bit closer to us, as if they were extending a friendly hand through intimate, affectionate notes, which fortunately feel like a “see you later” rather than a “goodbye”. (And here's a scoop: they wrote to me in a Facebook comment that their second album will be out soon).
Inspired and unexpected Glass America, I'm rooting for you, and I don't think I'm the only one.
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