REVIEW : GLASS VAULTS - GLASS EP

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( Richard Larsen )

     

( Rowan Pierce )

Genre : Dream Pop/Post-rock/Psychedelic/Indie Pop

Year : 2010

Label : Sonorous Circle

Dream pop and Shoegaze, closely related genres, in recent times have been rebuked for sounding conventional and formulaic. Barring a few bands like Asobi Seksu, Beach House, M83 and the recent addition of Wild Nothing, Memoryhouse and the uncountable chillwave bands (who are also beginning to sound alike because of the similar approach of using narcotic synth ablution), most bands have the same approach of using wall of sound dynamics and the cooing buried vocals; sonic experimentations done before and considered moth-eaten. Enter Glass Vaults from Wellington, New Zealand – the duo of Richard Larsen and Rowan Pierce who have released the gorgeous Glass EP that comingles post-rock and synth washes in a reverberating environment on the lines of what Paul Horn brought forth in his now legendary albums of ‘Inside the Taj Mahal I & II’. This EP is a sonic exploration of voice as a musical instrument; how phonation in the barest of environments can do wonders to enhance the infectiousness of music and it’s readiness to be absorbed by the human senses and delight, enamour and elevate it to the highest level of spirituality. One is reminded of the heydays of the band Sigur Ros’, when their music was able to penetrate and breach the highest echelons of mental listlessness and ingrain a feeling of mental peace that only hours of concentrated meditation could successfully yield. Recently artists like Julliana Barwick and The Mountain Man have tried to achieve such levels of echoing dreaminess through myriad sound textures that channelize the positive energy of the inner sanctum; but, Glass Vaults take it to an entirely different level with this EP. Each song in this 5 track EP dwells on these ideas of recording in an echoic environment in order to make the voice sound full bodied  where the vocalist just lets go and sends these uninhibited sound waves into the spaces around him and comes to harmony with his surroundings.

Sweeping the listener right off his/her feet from the word go, the EP opener ‘They Will Grow’ settles down with some guitar noise in the background; mellow, genteel and sun-kissed guitar chords dissipate their waftures of energy like angels playing harp in the heavens and the layered celestial, drawn out and dainty vocals that pitch-shift intermittently and envelope the cavernous ambiance soothe the mind and transmogrify any lingering sadness into hedonistic mirages. The album opener which was only the tip of the mammoth iceberg gives way to the second utterly mesmerizing track ‘Set Sail’ which finds Larsen singing “Set sail, set sail, on a sea. Come for me! I just wanna read your mind, all mine, your mine” asking his beloved to set sail on a voyage where they explore each other and their thoughts. The dreamy voice and the picturesque drones that elevate you to stratospheric heights, peppered with psychedelic sounds, merge and are washed further by moony synth drones and blazing drums that transport you to a dream destination never imagined before; seven minutes of extreme bliss and joy paralleled only by Foals’ chilly breathtaking track Spanish Sahara. ‘New Space’ that takes dream pop to a more danceable format with drums (both electronic and live), wordless exultations, the dazzling drones in the backdrop and the rejoicing vocals that go ‘hey!hey!hey!’ in the end, has a tropical vibe displayed by contemporaries Animal Collective/Panda Bear/Blind Man’s Colour. ‘Worrier’ the most inward gazing of the lot and melancholic and yearning for love; “I’ll come and go like a worrier, come and go”, sings Larsen to express his inner feelings of insecurity and lasting love. Vacillating woozy sounds and protracted pads describe vividly the inner turbulence and the lull in his heart. Signifying the feeling of letting go but still having mixed feelings about it, ‘Forget Me Not’ marches ahead in the same tune as the earlier track and asks the lover to not forget him; as the sadness seeps through the depopulated drums and the glimmering and hazy digital sounds as a passing statement of the good times shared; departing the EP on a low note.

Thus in the wide expanse of these challenging five tracks the EP covers a lot of ground lyrically, emotionally and technically as far as the dream pop genre is concerned. It never sounds stale at any point and delivers a sound that is literally a breath of fresh air and captivates the beauty of voice and the ambiance without faltering even once. This EP is something one will cherish listening to for quite a long time and is definitely on repeat for now. 

Rating : 8.9/10

http://www.sonorouscircle.com/artists/glassvaults/

http://www.myspace.com/wearevaults

http://glassvaults.bandcamp.com/album/glass-ep

http://www.last.fm/music/Glass+Vaults