Review Summary: Fun, pop-influenced electronic music.
The Glass have actually been making their unique blend of pop and electronic music since 2004, but
At Birds Two Swim marks their first full-length studio album. They have surfaced sporadically in the electronic scene, with the occasional single and the EP
Couples Therapy earning them a small following leading up to the present day. Thus,
At Birds Two Swim might be viewed as more of a long-time-coming cumulative resume than an actual debut. Nevertheless, The Glass bring us the first true indicator of what type of music they will create…and that alone makes
At Birds Two Swim a very important record.
As promised, The Glass’ debut is a nearly flawless blend of pop and electronic music, offering up catchy choruses and fun, danceable beats. The effects throughout the album are clearly utilized with one goal in mind – to make the music
fun for the listener. Despite what the vivid, oceanic cover art may lead you to believe, very few aspects of
At Birds Two Swim are actually atmospheric. That isn’t to say that the band’s sound isn’t detailed, because the blend of computerized beats and synthesizers can make for quite the intricate rhythm. However, the album’s goal focuses on the here and now, and it manages to come up with some impressive music
in the moment. “Pheromone” is a clear highlight, opening with distorted, underwater-sounding echoes that give way to a simple but infectious drum beat. This combination carries on throughout the entire song, slowly introducing one electronic effect after another until the listener is completely absorbed. In fact, “Pheromone” might serve as a sole exception to the album’s overall lack of ambience. To its credit,
At Birds Two Swim also features a commendable flow from song to song, as each track is effectively integrated into the album’s whole.
Despite its accessibility and ease of enjoyment, The Glass’ debut frequently falls prey to some very noticeable shortcomings. The aforementioned flow, while smooth in both production and ordering, can grow extremely repetitive. Luckily, this doesn’t become apparent until about halfway through the album…but when it strikes, you can feel the excitement and promise that the album began with sharply decline. The drum beats and overall rhythms become predictable, and they often take a solid build-up and then rush it into a mess of clichéd effects reminiscent of a club remix. That brings us to another issue with
At Birds Two Swim, which lies in the choice of electronic effects used and their placement within each individual song. The Glass shows a clear understanding of how to properly introduce a song, get the listener hooked, and develop it from there. So why do they insist on ruining so many moments that
could have been great? The opening track “Four Four Letter” begins with a bass heavy techno beat, some very cool wind-whipping effects, and a keyboard that compliments everything perfectly. However, by the time the song reaches the chorus, the band adds an out-of-place synthesizer and changes the tempo of the song, making it feel disjointed and aimed at people with short attention spans. Many other tracks follow suit, and even the strongest songs seem to struggle to resist the urge. At times, it feels like The Glass is having an identity crisis between wanting to be serious electronic artists and wanting to break out and disco. And that, unfortunately, puts a damper on several extended portions of
At Birds Two Swim.
All in all, The Glass have created a debut full of ups and downs. At its best, the album possesses contagious beats and rhythms that will be sure to get your head bobbing up and down, if not send you into a full frenzied dance. At its worst, though,
At Birds Two Swim can feel cheesy, shallow, and artificial. The makings are there for The Glass to have a solid future, they just need to find a way to make their music more personal. With that said,
At Birds Two Swim is an enjoyable piece of ear candy that should earn The Glass some well deserved attention.
