heard it through the wiretap

Summary : The sound of a band who know where they’re going. 

To the untrained ear, Glass Giant may appear to be nothing but a La Dispute clone, but scratching beneath the surface reveals a confident, sincere EP that can be ranked alongside the many other fantastic 2011 post-hardcore releases. 

My initial thought process went something like this; ‘..dude, these vocals remind me of La Dispute and meWithoutYou’. At times, the cadence is so eerily similar to Jordan Dreyer’s that you’d be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to unreleased tracks from Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair. Fortunately, Glass Giant separate themselves from their peers by embracing diversity and experimenting with different aspects of hardcore and metalcore in the 11 minute running time. 

Indeed, the bands’ constant shifts in tempo and emotion are noteworthy, which is very encouraging for future releases. Sometimes, fierce waves of guitar riffs and pounding drums accompany full-on screams. At others, the amps takes a back seat to make way for a spoken monologue over a post-rock soundscape. By the end, I was happy (and relieved) that the vocal range on show was much wider than I originally thought it would be. 

That’s not to say there aren’t issues. Things occasionally feel a little unfocused, particularly on Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and the bands’ influences do have a tendency to show perhaps a little too obviously. 

However, that’s not to say that Glass Giant haven’t crafted a strong EP here. The tight instrumentals, youthful ambition and earnest delivery combine to result in what is a fine post-hardcore release. Things never feel forced or fake, and if they continue to develop their sound, they have every chance of creating a remarkable full length in the future. 

Review by Isaac Powell.

Summary : Barrow have created an album that is both refreshingly original yet unashamed of channelling it’s influences. 

Being Without is a difficult release to pigeon-hole. Gone are the days where an album is clearly ambient drone, or clearly post-punk revival, or clearly whatever other sub genre you wish to imagine (or invent). Bands like North Carolina quartet Barrow have to make it difficult on us reviewers, taking elements from various genres and fusing them together to create something entirely different altogether. Thankfully, they make it work. 

The opening track, Where Was I, gives a good indication of what awaits. Starting out with an instrumental picking melody, things quickly come alive in the form of a more traditional post-hardcore section. There are some clean & harsh vocals working together over some heavy instrumentation, then all of a sudden we’re back to another ambient passage (think Mogwai) - but wait! Screams reminiscent of Iselia’s LP (which Travis also appeared on) close out the track. By now, it’s clear this isn’t just any old screamo release. 

Moving though the album, we’re met with constant changes of pace. At it’s fiercest; crushing guitar waves and soaring screams that remind you of the emotion of bands like Pianos Become The Teeth & La Dispute. At it’s most heartfelt; long, slow passages of haunting cleans and soundscapes present in An Absent Crown, My Diadem. Elsewhere, I even heard some brass and tremolo crescendos ala post-rock giants Godspeed You! Black Emporer. If this album is nothing else, it’s certainly diverse.  

Halfway through the LP comes The Undertow, a track which highlights everything that Barrow do well. A sick drum fill leads you into a guitar section that wouldn’t feel out of place on an At The Drive-In release, which leads us into a heavy screamo verse that carries the punch of a CityCop or a Suis La Lune. After that, a short instrumental bridge before the albums best clean vocals kick in, which also conveniently highlights that these guys write good lyrics too.

I subsided on skin and smoke, attaching my attention to a false and fleeting feeling, seeking anything appealing for a moment’s time. And I keep slipping through every phrase, tearing through page after page, the structure has amended, but the cadence hasn’t changed. 

If there was one criticism I would make, it would probably be some of the vocal dissonance that gets created by overlapping clean & harsh vocals. This is only really a small issue on one track, but it does have the tendency to throw you off. 

In spite of that, what Barrow have done here is remarkable, particularly for a debut release. It carries a certain weight and authority that you don’t hear that often, and one that usually takes a band years to craft. This is not just one of the most pleasantly surprising releases of the year, it’s also one of the most accomplished.

Review by Isaac Powell.