Chemicals

I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a new band, but Seymour Glass has all the makings for something big. They are just plain smart. How long has it been since an intelligent musical source appeared? Too long by my account, but now I can latch onto this band for a while, and be happy.

What makes them so good you ask? Well, it is the entire album, the individual parts, the songwriting, the lyrics, the changes, the construction, the feel, and the movement, just everything. Rarely can a band use piano to such an end, not since Ben Folds has there been a more in tune resonance with the music. Used successfully, as it is here, it elevates the entire experience to a new level. And added to the drive of alt-rock guitar, there are some truly exquisite moods presented.

The production is seamless, as it layers many faceted images into the ultimate design. Every instrument melds into the whole, so that nothing is blatant or detracting, and at the same time, every instrument is individual and producing interesting lines or alterations, in combination with the others or just with themselves. It is so faultless, they make it look easy - which is onto another level of admiration for me; when they make it look this easy, to me, it only shows how hard it really is and how good they really are as a band. Themes change and evolve as the record proceeds, maintaining common subtleties while varying enough from track to track to keep me interested from beginning to end.

Another aspect that appeals to me is the lack of pop. Now, I mean this record does have great hooks, but it doesn't feel processed like a lot of bands now a days. It has a distinct identity, a sound that is completely Seymour Glass, not borrowed or stolen off of some other source, fresh and welcome. Talking about individual songs would get tiresome as there is a lot to laud, but "Rocket Science" will always be at the back of my brain for its change of direction and peaks.

How do you separate all of the would-be bands from the ones that deserve to be listened to? Well, there are many ways for you to do that, but one way would be to listen to me. And if it were up to me, I would have everyone with a CD player have this album, and maybe we could raise the collective IQ of the world a point or two. Wouldn't that be nice.

-bishop