Glass - Emergence
Musea Records
http://www.musearecords.com/

Rating: A                                                                                            

With the release of Emergence, their 4^th album since 2005’s comeback disc Illuminations Progressive rock band Glass have returned with yet another majestic and entirely unique sounding collection of music.

From the onset the band seemingly aligned themselves with the Canterbury scene or so called sub-genre of prog that sprung up in the U.K. in the late 60’s, but to be honest I’ve never been able to completely understand the comparisons with bands such as Soft Machine and Caravan. While I understand the need for reference points, and in fact the band has cited them and others as influences and has even gone as far as working with some of these influential musicians on their own recordings, I’ve always been of the belief that one of the main reasons for their appeal is their uncanny ability to achieve a perfect balance of remaining true to their symphonic prog rock sensibilities, coupled with the fact that with each new release they somehow manage to come out on the other side with a sound they can proudly call their own. 

Centered around brothers Jeff (bass, keyboards) and Greg Sherman ( keys) and Jerry Cook (drums) Glass’ raison d'etre is to consistently formulate an adventurous melting pot where jazz, progressive rock and traces of the avant-garde all coalesce into one majestic, analog tapestry of sound. With these talented musicians, the approach is rarely one of complex musical passages or varying time signatures, but one that focuses primarily on establishing moods that trigger the listener’s emotions so deeply and in such a way that it almost has a hypnotic effect. The modus operandi here on Emergence continues along in the same vein that the band has been exploring now for years, in that they seek not so much to create individual songs as they do compositions that ebb and flow with such natural grace and beauty that the listener finds themselves forgetting all time and space. Emergence succeeds because of these reasons and also due to the fact that once again the music manages to tread new ground and so comes across as sounding extremely fresh. Whether they’re adding a saxophone or trumpet or some spoken word and backing vocals, these subtle nuances and textures go a long way towards further expanding their lush compositions. 

With Emergence Glass has once again put out another album of music that is quite simply a winner from beginning to end. For this listener as soon as the lead off song took flight into my headphones, I couldn’t help but feel like the song was picking up right where the final one on their last album left off.  This is because they’ve perfected the art of crafting seamless music that all feels like part of a bigger, never ending musical voyage. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the game, bottom line is Emergence will definitely be a worthy addition to your collection.   

Tracklist

1              Emergence        
2              Double Down Syndrome             
3              For You, But You Were Sleeping               
4              Europa Regret  
5              My Reborn        
6              7             
7              Ritual    
8              Farewell To Arm              
9              Foucault's Dream            
10           Eternally             
11           Ultraverse Quadradextrous       
12           Eye Of The Needle         
13           Mantra 4             
14           Jungle Boots

By: Ryan Sparks