ØZWALD – 10 pm at the Greyhound Station
For some modern indie-rock groups, the 1960s aren’t just an important hallmark in the evolution of popular music. No, it’s the decades where pop music grew as high and wide as it could and then stopped. Some artists, nowadays, focus on bringing back some of the more superficial elements of that era, such as the very colourful fashion. Others like to go deeper, seeking out what influenced those men and women to write that type of music, wear those kinds of strange clothes, and create an atmosphere of hope and tolerance.
ØZWALD are such songsmiths, and their interest in retro-rock goes far beyond the shallow. They sound like Cage the Elephant if Matt Schultz was studying to give a lecture on the use of melodies in psych-rock.
10 pm at the Greyhound Station is a really pretty song and a good representation of the group’s noteworthy work. The vocals are gentle and brittle. The acoustic guitars are recorded in such a way that they fill the mix. The keys and drum ornamentation sound confident and perfectly compliment the entire orchestration. Above all of this, the melodies are impeccable and, dare I say, good enough to carve a way forward for a style that many might think ended decades ago.
Glass Dove – Isn’t It A Pity (George Harrison Cover)
By the time that it looked inevitable that the Beatles were going to break up, none of the Fab Four were readier to embark on a solo career than George Harrison. His 1970 album All things must pass showed how Harrison had honed his songwriting chops. His various interests had also provided him with a unique vision which he expressed incontrovertibly through his songs.
George Harrison’s evolution as a songwriter, no doubt, owed a lot to learning diligently from two of his bandmates, the world’s most famous songwriting duo. But, Isn’t it a pity tells the story of betrayal and the inevitable heartbreak people to inflict on those they care about. It’s hard not to read into it as also a story about the dissolution of the Beatles.
Glass Dove’s excellent tribute to Harrison’s much-cherished song arrives four decades after the release of All things must pass. The reinterpretation is an interesting mixture. On the one hand, the vocals are pristine, and the instrumentation channels the warmth of the original. On the other hand, the production, courtesy of Owen Biddle, emphasizes a modern beat that, almost by miracle, does not feel out of place.
Glass Dove has produced a sweet and thoughtful remembrance of one of rock music’s most fascinating figures.
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