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Glorie

Falling EP

Written by: BV on 26/02/2013 19:37:30

Glorie is an experimental quintet from Memphis that predominantly dabbles in heavily orchestrated instrumental rock. By heavily orchestrated I am referring to the incorporation of various unorthodox instruments such as the vibraphone, heavy drums and the not so unorthodox strings such as the cello. Glorie's newest release, the EP entitled “Falling” incorporates elements from a variety of genres such as post-rock, ambient, classical and hints of jazz as well. The primary focus of the music is clearly being placed on the good melody, and the evocative moods the music can provoke, since there are very few – if any, points where the musicians are really ‘showing off’ their skills, rather than focus on the ambiance and the general soundscape.

As such, this EP is not for the listeners out there that can't wrap their heads around a constant theme of low-tempo and moody settings – granted, there might be exceptions but this album is a slowpoke in terms of tempo, but it suits it spectacularly. The opening track “Sunshine Then Nightmares” is a perfect example of the evocative soundscapes and the moody, almost theatrical music that can be heard on the album. While being predominantly driven by the strings and the piano, this up-tempo track reminds me vastly of other albums I have reviewed recently – not in terms of chord progressions or anything like that, but the simple fact that there appears to be a large selection of instrumentally based bands out there that can truly create these thought-provoking, highly emotional and epic soundscapes that I love so much. More often than not though, I find that vocals can ruin these records, but with Glorie I think it could be quite the opposite. These magnificent soundscapes could benefit greatly from a talented vocalist that could really bring them up to another level.

This is also my major concern with the EP – I am more or less constantly reminding myself of the fact that vocals on this EP could really hit my sweet spot and as such I have a tentative feeling of missing something. While I enjoy every single moment of the EP, I am constantly reassuring myself that this EP would receive a tremendously higher rating from, had there been vocals on it.

But all in all, I can honestly say that Glorie should be proud of their work here. It is not often that I listen to instrumental music and really feel I can dig into the multiple layers of ambiance, beautiful instrumentation and the likes of it, without ever really getting fed up with it.

Download: Sunshine Then Nightmares, The Lotus, Falling
For The Fans Of: Lights & Motion, Savanna, Pink Floyd
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 06.03.2013
Self-released