Glorious Monster are an electronic, guitar and vocals combo from Minnesota. As the title suggests, their new EP is a compilation of alternative mixes and covers from their only album to date, ‘Adventures On Earth’. Not having the album, I can’t really compare versions but what I can say is that - on the strength of the five songs collected here - the duo show eclectic taste and a real sense of invention.
If there is a consistent approach, it’s that each song is characterised by Brian Casey’s airy vocals; not dissimilar to Junior Boys’ Jeremy Greenspan. ‘Photographs’ is the key track for me, where a serene synth wash is joined by melodic bleeps and Casey’s intimate performance. It’s a lovely, romantic-sounding song. The title track is optimistic and breezy whilst ‘Now You Are’ merges melancholia with futuristic keyboard swirls.
The choices of cover versions are certainly brave affairs even if they don’t quite come off. Casey certainly struggles to wrestle his vocals around ‘Space Oddity’ and you have to question the wisdom of covering such a near-perfect song. ‘O Holy Night’, on the other hand, is another odd choice but this time Glorious Monster pull it off with a heartfelt delivery. In fact, I think it’s the emotion of the EP which is one of its strongest qualities and it certainly encourages me to investigate the accompanying album.
Web Sites:
Glorious Monster Official Site
Glorious Monster MySpace
Further Listening:
Junior Boys, The Postal Service, Riding Paper Airplanes
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