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Moonless carnivals
Post-Tom Waits yodels, tripped-out twangs and hard-to-categorize musical revival in Reverend Glasseye’s ‘Our Lady of the Broken Spine’
By Mark Maier
He may sound like he’s selling the listeners snake oil but he proves — again and again — he is genuinely a complicated artist who knows what he is talking about: salvation.
If 2005 was a signifying year for the impending doom of scourge from above, then Reverend Glasseye’s “Our Lady of the Broken Spine” should have been given its credit and made the soundtrack.
As the third album from this amazing Boston band, Glasseye’s latest release is an experimental stride, to say the least. Not only have the songwriting and production progressed, the aesthetics have become finely tune to a unique, impacting musical craft apt of truly altering the listeners’ perspectives.
It’s Glasseye’s voice that exalts the album. Weariness drives the leading vocals and remains cautionary throughout the album’s body. He may sound like he’s selling the listeners snake oil but he proves — again and again — he is genuinely a complicated artist who knows what he is talking about: salvation.
In a style that is difficult to label, the band’s sounds reflect that of a despotic church from the Old West — yodels, tripped-out twang, and all. Yet there is no need for a gimmick here — Reverend Glasseye rocks out in a fashion that can never be emulated by any alt-country gothic revivalist.
A distinct drudgery underlies the theme of the music of “Our Lady” and, unlike his other albums, there is the graduation from anything that might sound too much like Tom Waits.
Rather, this is one more suitable for punk rock funerals or moonless carnivals. Wavering singing can often play off of the lyrics or manifest the crux of the dynamically narrated songs. Aside from Reverend Glasseye’s vocal contributions, Piet Masone’s vocal range and the female harmonics also add to the intoxicating madness of it all.
Horns of different calibers bring a rich booming to many tracks and provide a rolling force for others. Solid drumming from one of the young greats, Tim Maher, ignites every track. There is always a bad-ass frenzy of guitar and the bass stands out solidly — two factors that definitely stood out to the crowd that voted Reverend Glasseye last year’s winner of the notorious Boston Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble.
In the end, “Our Lady of the Broken Spine” is a musical revival. This one is definitely worth its weight, whether it’s in the car or at a party. It is smart, it is sexy and it is timeless.
And it is only going to get better — Reverend Glasseye is working with an orchestra for his next project. So pick this one up before you have to play catch-up, and join in the fun before you lose any more faith or get swallowed up in the rapture.
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