Glorytellers Atone (Southern)
5/5
By: Stephen Maughan
The second release from former American underground sensation Geoff Farina, and his band Glorytellers suitbaly takes the best jazz elements of his former band Karate and blends them in with the gentle lyrical richness of his Secret Stars projects. Actually, it's better than that - Atone has something rather magical about it that sets it apart from the majority of records releaased this year.
Glorytellers formed shortly after Karate finally burned out earlier this century. At the time Farina claimed he didn't want to damage his hearing after 12 years playing in a rock band. Yet anyone who saw Karate shows during those last few years could feel a certain detachment, and even boredom in Farina's performance, the optimism and peace in Atone is a relief for those of us who thought Farina's best was behind him.
I have been listening to this record virtually non stop all weekend. The simple fact is it's a brilliant album - I can't recall one quite this elegant and vivid for a long time, and it’s certainly the most introspective and interesting album I’ve heard all year. A lot has been made of Farina's influrencial guitar playing in Karate, but the mellow approach taken here gives the opportunity for his reflective lyrics to shine - “I can see you from a distance all pale and tattoos, seen a light of sunshine light up New England skies... listen to the thunder sing, I can hear you knock again at my door what are you thinking of, what are you doing here?” he wonders in 'Softly As She Sings', a blusey tale of love gone sour (“I use to love you, now it's mostly symphahthy”) while the concluding eight minute closing Boston love letter, 'Coldest War', soars and thunders before leaving you, like the best records do, both bewildered and excited.
What Geoff Farina has done with Glorytellers is create an album so intoxicating and rich in both musical texture and lyrical poetry that it’s really set apart from everything else I have heard all year. Atone is more acoustic than the Karate albums, it has elements of folk, jazz, improvisation, and poetry. The sheer will to make a record like this in the current world of alternative rock is not lost on Farina, who told a US Newspaper last week “Since Karate broke up, there’s not been a lot of interest in this band. It doesn’t fit in with what’s popular but that’s fine”. The angst and energy of Karate records has evaporated into a sense of peace and acceptance, and it's all the better for it. The band is called Glorytellers, the title is Atone, and records this rich and charming don't come out every day.
Artists in this article: Glorytellers
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment