German post-rock ensemble Glen has gone through quite a few line-ups, with guitarists Wilhelm Stegmeier and Eleni Ampelakiotou as the core duo since their inception in 2017. Their latest album is called It Was A Bright Cold Day In April,... - yes, that's from the first line of George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four - and the five piece suite ends with a track named after the second part of that sentence - ... and the clocks were striking thirteen. The music is draped in ominous darkness, taking it slow to lure the listener into a vortex with swirling guitars, gnarly shimmering keyboards, and dense percussion.
They allow each lengthy track to run its course, with only shifts in volume offering some respite. It is a wordless warning about democratic values being in serious jeopardy. Trying to make it all go away be doing drugs (Lotosesser succumbing to the lure of a lesser evil), when the powers that be are resorting to violence to have their way (Brute Force) or even in a more devilish scheme are offering false hope for a brighter future that ends with the world going up in flames (Sublime - inspired by Denis Diderot's Pensées philosophiques), in the end all those efforts might be futile.
It is a towering Gesamtkunstwerk that should be enjoyed as a whole. The two bonus tracks that were added to this release don't add much to it, but since they sound a bit lighter it makes coming up for air after the main event a little easier.
Glen:
Wilhelm Stegmeier: guitar
Eleni Ampelakiotou: guitar
Roland Feinäugle: bass
Achim Färber: drums
Guest musicians:
Kriton Beyer: daxophone
Norbert Stammberger: soprano and baritone saxophone
It Was A Bright Cold Day In April,... will be released on February 20 via Kapitän Platte (coloured vinyl, vinyl, CD, digital).
Tracks:- Frenzy
- Lotosesser
- Brute Force
- Sublime
- ... and the clocks were striking thirteen
- Zugzwang (Bonus)
- Il Ricordo (Bonus)
No comments:
Post a Comment