Glyn Bailey & The Many Splendid Things: The Disturbance

Is there such a thing as progressive pop? Well after listening to The Disturbance from Glyn Bailey and The Many Splendid Things, the answer really has to be a resounding yes! Bringing together a quirky mix of power chords, acoustic strumming, piano breaks, meandering time signatures and instantly hum-able choruses. Add to that vocals that sit somewhere between David Bowie and the lead singer of Black, Colin Vearncombe and The Disturbance is an album that challenges while it makes you smile.

The songs are intricately structured in a way that allows you to focus on them in different manners depending on your mood. A casual listen brings some concisely clipped pop that is easily digested and sung along to, however delve deeper and the results are all the more rewarding, with sharp arrangements and clever instrumentation allowing the music to flow while it sparks off on slight tangents which continually pull you back into the complex, yet pleasing themes. If however you are a lyrics listener then you are also in for a real treat with Bailey delivering insightful, funny, heartfelt, melancholy words with force and power, whether that being through a deep whisper, or clear and forceful howl.

The overall vibe is of an album that somehow takes itself way too seriously while having an absolute blast. Topics such as betrayal, poor parenting skills, the advantages of leaving a beautiful corpse, or simple tales of love may sound a bit heavy. However when they are backed with dancing piano, harmony vocals, shout-a-long choruses and the odd crunching guitar, somehow they always leave you with a huge smile on your face and a melodious hook that won't depart from your head no matter how hard you shake it. Songs like "BBC Bunker", "The Old Illawalla", "Fuktup" and "Louis" all reel you in with a deep and dark atmosphere which is intentionally pierced with bright melodies and sharp incisive lyrics that sometimes leave you shaking your head and sometimes have you laughing.

Yes The Disturbance is an album of contradiction and juxtaposition, but it does it in such a way that you are continually enticed back again and again in the hope that it will all suddenly make sense. I can't guarantee that it ever will, but you'll have damn good time finding out.

Track Listing
1. The Old Illawalla
2. Beautiful Corpse
3. Fuktup
4. God For The Day
5. The Bolan Tree
6. Louis
7. Traffic Light Man
8. BBC Bunker
9. Cherry Tree
10. Waiting Game

Added: July 20th 2011
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Glyn Bailey Official Site
Hits: 2170
Language: english

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