Glasser - Ring
- Written by Lucy Dearlove
Ring, the debut album from Glasser, is aptly and deliberately titled. Apparently based on a fascination this 'one woman orchestra', also known as Cameron Mesirow, developed while reading Homer's Odyssey, it eschews conventional ideas of the structure of an album. In the Odyssey, as in much classical literature, ideas and themes progress non-chronologically towards a central concept. Having accidentally listened to the entire album on shuffle, an occurrence that usually does not go unnoticed for so long, I can testify to the idea that a sense of journey or progression, as we usually experience and perhaps even expect on albums, is absent. It's slightly disorientating, and makes it initially difficult to pick out distinguishing features of the individual songs.
This is not intended as a criticism. Ring is a beautiful and compelling record. And interestingly, just as the album as a whole takes on this annular format, the tracks themselves are built upon a similar circularity. Just as a pile of books, for example, can be viewed as a collective entity, or separate pieces of equal importance, each track is so complexly and intricately layered that it can be difficult at times to relax and take it in as a whole.
There's an overall gothic nature to the album, brought largely by Mesirow's hypnotising vocals. Her voice effortlessly skips octaves, yelps and creates complicated choral parts that contribute heavily to the aforementioned layering effect. The arrangements of this record are in marked contrast to her much acclaimed EP Apply, released last year, which was recorded entirely on GarageBand, with Mesirow recording all the parts herself. The maximalist arrangement she has opted for here is ambitious, but it is a gamble that has paid off.
Opening track 'Apply' is a strong beginning to the album, setting the tone that remains largely constant. Mesirow croons a simplistic vocal riff and intermittently yelps over vaguely discordant organ parts and tribal percussion. 'Glad' is also a highlight, with baritone harmony and unison saxophone as well as a pretty rich string section forming the layering. The beauty of 'Glad', like many others on the album, lies in how superficially simple and ethereal the track seems. It's only with greater concentration on the separate parts that its dense nature and weightiness is revealed.
Cameron Mesirow has produced something quite unique and remarkable on this record. Not only it is timeless, but it will be interesting to see what sort of precedents can be set by this idea of a cyclical album in pop music.