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Glos - Harmonium

Rating

RIYL

Engine Down
The Sound of Animals Fighting
Biology
The Mars Volta

Tracklist

1. Unharmed
2. Public Speaker
3. Hell Hath No Fury
4. Employee
5. Telepathy
6. Entre
7. Tainted
8. Between You And I
9. Driver
10. Counting Sheep
11. Agnosia

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In previous years the international mail system played a highly significant role in the way information made its way from person to person. This process usually took a few days (if not a few weeks) to reach the intended recipient and ultimately made for a slow but sufficient way to gain information. However, since the development of the internet it has become much easier to relay information and share ideas. The internet has allowed us the opportunity to act freely in the dispersal of news and leisure – even this very review becomes possible with the conception of the internet. So it would seem that a system that is so beneficial to social globalization would also have smaller, somewhat less influential, applications.

Music has long since played a causal role in the success of the internet from a leisure perspective. Any number of tracks can be downloaded or streamed from an artist trying to promote their latest release. It goes without saying that the music industry will express the ideas of a double edged sword when discussing the value of the internet as it relates to music and record sales. However, for some, the internet is valued not just for its music sharing capabilities but also for the ability that it has to aid in the creation of music. You might recall a band named The Postal Service, who utilized the national postal service (hence the name) when organizing the tracks for their first release. In a sense, Glos is much the same.

Instead of using the snail mail service that so many of us have abandoned in this high tech age, Glos opted for the much more favorable World Wide Web to pass the tracks along. Basically Harmonium is a collaborative effort that is pushed to an objective level. Each person lays down their instrumentals separately before passing the track on to the next, adding to the overall tone of the song and ultimately producing a sort of musical medley. If the rhythm sections from this release sound at all familiar it might help to note that Keeley Davis and Cornbread Compton first flexed their musical muscle as part of the rock outfit Engine Down. Rounding up the vocal aspect of the record is Davis’ sister Maura, who some may also recognize of Denali. However, their musical resumes don’t end with their prior engagements – parts of Glos have also played in or are currently a part of Biology, Sparta, and Heavens.

Clearly there is no shortage of musical talent in this group of individuals, and their debut displays this quite well. As expected, the drum and bass tracks are thundering and play a strong role in the overall tone of the disk. This is not surprising as Engine Down emphasized heavy drum work throughout their catalog. As strong as the rhythm tracks on this disk are, the guitar and synth tracks hold their own and keep the engaging tone of the release. While the tone of the disk floats between quick paced interludes and slow, spacey balladry, the progressive sound stays fairly sharp and true. While listening to Harmonium it may at times feel like a mix between The Sound of Animals Fighting interludes and an Unsolved Mysteries style theme song.

The instrumentals from each member are predominant on Harmonium because the individuals regulate their sound to play around the other tracks in the song. In the end the overall tracks come out well with an almost ‘epic’ sort of feeling to them. However, some might suggest that the release is more tuned towards those with a more technical outlook on music composition. While the concept of collaboration through addition and objectivity is not new (see the aforementioned The Sound of Animals Fighting and The Postal Service) it is an interesting way to hone one's musical skill – likewise, it is an interesting way to develop a more broad range of music appreciation.

--Chad Quenneville