Review Summary: Another fine release of this American prog band. This is a band that deserves more attention and love.
“Culture Of Ascent” is the ninth studio album of Glass Hammer and was released in 2007. The line up on the album is Carl Groves, Susie Bogdanowicz, Fred Schendel and Steve Babb. The album had also the participation of Jon Anderson, Sarah Snyder, Robert Streets, Haley McGuire, David Walliman, Eric Parker, Matt Mendians and The Adonia String Trio (Rebecca James, Susan Whitacre and Rachel Beckman).
Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was founded in 1992. The story of Glass Hammer began in 1992 when the group’s “core”, Steve Babb and Fred Schendel, began work on a Tolkien’s inspired conceptual album named “The Journey Of The Dunadan” based on the story of Aragorn. That would be the debut studio album from the band and it was released in 1993. To their huge surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet, leaving Babb and Schendel convinced that the band was a project that worth continuity.
The music of Glass Hammer combines elements of folk, symphonic prog, classical prog (so to speak, retro prog in pure culture) and the neo-prog too. Occasionally the stereotypes of the retro prog are pushed to extremes. I think you can see that very well on “Chronometree”, especially the emphasis is usually put on in a very sophisticated keyboard work.
Steve Babb and Fred Schendel are both multi-instrumentalists, but the focus is on all sorts of keyboard instruments from Moog and Hammond organ to various synthesizers. Fred Schendel and Steve Babb are also active as producers. On their studio and live albums, Glass Hammer is supported by various musicians. The different line ups included several lead vocalists, including Jon Davison, which many of we know was the last vocalist who performed with Yes.
“Culture Of Ascent” is another conceptual album. It deals with the musical implementation of the book “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer, in which Krakauer describes the dramatic failure of a Mount Everest expedition, in which he only barely escapes with life. And maybe here rises the only real gripe of the album. Such kind of story would probably call for a more dramatic and desperate style of music. Seen from this point of view, one must simply state a “topic missed”. But it can be compensated by many other things. Still, the vastness of the Himalayas with its eight-thousand metres can be perfectly catch and transmitted by the cool elegance of the music of Glass Hammer quite well all over the album.
“Culture Of Ascent” is quite an exciting album. Glass Hammer made almost everything right for my subjective taste. It starts with the production. If I had heard this album without knowing its origin, I would hardly have guessed who it was. Sometimes, Glass Hammer has tinny production, bruised vocals and over dominance of shrill keyboards. Here that is now completely overcome. This is especially because of the fact that the keyboard lines have become thinner and spread rather in carefully knotted cords than in whole carpets. This construct is partly supported by groovy guitar solos and occasional some “modern” sound samples, but also by various strings. In itself, it’s nothing new at Glass Hammer. But in this case, it happens for the first time in the band’s discography. What comes out in the end is almost “chamber-music”, but nevertheless symphonic prog with skilfully metered hardness, a mix that I never felt before in this band. But the balancing act between the symphonic prog and the chamber prog music is quite different in the respective tracks.
Besides, the involvement of Jon Anderson fits into this concept. His contribution isn’t in the booklet as “vocals”, but as a “vocalization”, which makes perfect sense. In reality, tracks 1 and 3, in which he is there, he gives by background harmonies an almost ghostly appeal, but he never dominates in any moment the singing of Carl Groves or Susie Bogdanowicz. His contribution just acts in the context of an also Yes conjuring sound image of organ and bass. That is just brilliant and rare. And what I really credit to Jon Anderson is that restraint, which isn’t really a usual thing in him.
Funnily, Glass Hammer starts with a Yes’ cover. Perhaps even bolder would have been “Heart Of The Sunrise”, but the softly modernized Glass Hammer “South Side Of The Sky” should also be enough of a discussion ground. I find this version charming and elegant. Alias, this start is a clear signal for an album, which could be seen as a lost Yes’ album.
Conclusion: “Culture Of Ascent” may not bring something new to Glass Hammer fans. But, what they have given to us was excellent, melodic and sophisticated progressive rock music of the highest calibre. The packaging is outstanding, the production is excellent, the musicianship is stellar, and the lyrics thought provoking without being melodramatic or overbearing. Steve Babb, Fred Schendel & Co. have delivered another stunning collection of winners here. Can you love them or not, there’s no denying that Glass Hammer have a real passion for what they do, and it can perfectly seen each and every time they release an album, can you like it or not. And that’s good enough in my personal taste, really.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
