Glass Ghost - Idol Omen

  by Mark Rowland

published: 10 / 11 / 2009

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Review

New York duo Glass Ghost’s sound is sort of a cross between a frozen Animal Collective and an electronic Bon Iver. On opener 'Time Saving Tricks’ chilly horns, minimalist synth blips and stuttering rhythms fit the strange falsetto of keyboardist Eliot Krimsky, who sounds a little like the aforementioned Bon Iver doing a Mickey Mouse impression. It almost sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does, picking up the pace with the 'Mechanical Life', which mixes the repetition of dance music with shuffling drums and jazzy chords, subtly building layers together before crashing into 'Divisions', arpeggios falling onto the track like snow flakes and a heavy bass drum pounding sporadically in the background. ‘The Same’ is an initial standout track, partly as it lightens the mood, and partly because its bouncing bass line and vocal melody are incredibly catchy. It is probably the most like Animal Collective in nature, but it also brings to mind Sufjan Stevens’ work on his album ‘Illinois’. 'Like a Diamond' slows the pace a little, stripping the sound down to drums and keyboards, with understated horn sounds boosting the sound in its last minute. Violence owes a rhythmical debt to hip hop, but marries it to a Gamelan-style clattering anti melody. 'What I’ve Seen' is similar in structure to Animal Collective’s quieter, looser songs, before breaking out another chilly electronic rhythm, which the band marry to fairly warm, almost pastoral, instrumentation. The main down point of the album is that it’s a little too short, finishing with the aptly-named 'Ending' eight tracks in.

Track Listing:-

1 Time Saving Trick
2 Mechanical Life (feat: Luke Temple)
3 Divisions
4 The Same
5 Like a Diamond
6 Violence
7 What I've Seen
8 Ending

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