In my previous post I mentioned that I've been listening to a lot of The Glands. As with many of this fall's discoveries, they came to me in a 14-disk package sent by a west coast enigma. Introducing me to The Glands was a good choice because they have sucked me in. I have trouble explaining why I love them so much, I think because I feel an emotional connection to the songs. They hit me in a reminiscent way as though I've been hearing them for years and am revisiting the story. Lyrics which may seem simple have an eloquence and elegance in execution. Musically, they benefit from many unique influences and are a bit Guided By Voices or Pavement-esque. I have heard them described as "high-quality '90s college radio fare" and I can't say that I disagree.
My question is why this band never achieved greater recognition or even a cult following. Reading articles about them from the late 90's and early 2000's, it seems like the journalists put The Glands as being poised for success. Their self-titled sophomore album (2000) was hailed as "...an indie-rock masterpiece" (9 of 10 rating) by Spin Magazine. Today that is juxtaposed with the same record being on a list of "the best indie albums no one's ever heard." No one really knows if they broke up, and there is a cloud of mystery surrounding their period of silence. There is also a third album in limbo due to a rumored squabble with the Capricorn label. Ultimately, I want to disseminate information on The Glands because I believe in them at a high level. With the right marketing, or a few years later, this band could have blown up. I sincerely hope that they have more to bring to the table.
The following are snippets of my most highly recommended songs:
No comments:
Post a Comment