Friday, January 28, 2011
Labels: music
Some background:
In 2009, eMusic put out a compilation called Selected + Collected, full of songs from upcoming (and unsigned) artists that were just beginning to make a name for themselves. Now, the compilation is nowhere to be found. eMusic has erased it. And I think I know why. Selected + Collected featured songs from Obits, Glasser, Girls, Man/Miracle, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. At the time, these artists were pretty much nobodies. Now, in 2010, they are some of the most popular new bands in the "indie" scene. My theory is that eMusic discontinued their compilation because these bands actually began to take off... And their record labels wanted their artist's songs on Selected + Collected removed because those artists were actually starting to make some money! Anyway, two years later, each of these bands have put out full-length albums and have been garnering a lot of attention.One of the songs was by Glasser, AKA Cameron Masirow. At the time she was unsigned and self-produced the song, "Apply." Since then she has put together a full-length album, Ring, on the True Panther Sounds label. Like a lot of the other artists on Selected + Collected, her career has taken off since her early days on eMusic. The album received a highly favorable review from Pitchfork and many others.
Some review:
Ring starts out with a new version of "Apply." It's bass heavy and features a rumbling tribal percussion section, providing a base for Masirow's beautiful harmonies. It's a good reworking of her one well-known song, and a good opener for the rest of the album, which hasn't been heard before this release. Thunderous beats are the backbone of the album, but it's the vocals that make this one special. CM's voice is incredible, and she can pull off everything from 'ooohh'ing to some primal vocal sounds that are weird enough to catch attention, but not too over the top. Her lyrics are quite simple but are a good match for her to sing. Versus and choruses aren't always clearly defined, but in a way that works well for this 'flowing' style of music. A wide range of instruments can be heard, such as steel drums, sitars, and some wind instruments. Glasser has struck a good balance between electronic sounds and live studio performances. The strength of the album lies in the mixture of sounds (both vocals, beats and instruments), and keeping things to a minimum to allow the songs to just unfold. I really like this sort of song structure, where a simple beat carries the song to it's end, like a wave in the ocean...
Overall, Glasser has made a surprisingly original sounding first album, filled with cool instruments, good beats, and beautiful vocals. It's very dream-like, but still down-to-earth enough to be good music.
Ring starts out with a new version of "Apply." It's bass heavy and features a rumbling tribal percussion section, providing a base for Masirow's beautiful harmonies. It's a good reworking of her one well-known song, and a good opener for the rest of the album, which hasn't been heard before this release. Thunderous beats are the backbone of the album, but it's the vocals that make this one special. CM's voice is incredible, and she can pull off everything from 'ooohh'ing to some primal vocal sounds that are weird enough to catch attention, but not too over the top. Her lyrics are quite simple but are a good match for her to sing. Versus and choruses aren't always clearly defined, but in a way that works well for this 'flowing' style of music. A wide range of instruments can be heard, such as steel drums, sitars, and some wind instruments. Glasser has struck a good balance between electronic sounds and live studio performances. The strength of the album lies in the mixture of sounds (both vocals, beats and instruments), and keeping things to a minimum to allow the songs to just unfold. I really like this sort of song structure, where a simple beat carries the song to it's end, like a wave in the ocean...
Overall, Glasser has made a surprisingly original sounding first album, filled with cool instruments, good beats, and beautiful vocals. It's very dream-like, but still down-to-earth enough to be good music.
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