When I first heard Glass Museum at their online show during the online Dunk! Festival last year, I was immediately captured by their unique sound and music. A duo consisting only of a drummer and a piano / synth player is capable of creating some of the most interesting soundscapes some big bands strive to even come close to.
The Belgian duo is now finally releasing their second album Reflet and it scratches exactly the itch their debut Reykjavik left me with. Their blend of jazz and electronic music is truly unique and both musicians are just incredible on their respective instruments, with intricate drumming and mesmerizing synth melodies.
When the first notes of ”Caillebotis” started playing, I immediately felt right at home and got even more excited for the album before me. The song could be right off of Reykjavik, thus it serves as a kind of connecting piece between the albums. By the end it drifts off a bit and paves the way for the next song ”Shiitake” which is kind of hectic in the beginning, but once the minimalistic melody sets in with the drums, it becomes just so groovy. The album in general is best enjoyed with headphones or speakers with good stereo separation, because Glass Museum utilize the whole stereo field to their advantage, with sounds whirling all around your head.
It is just amazing how effortlessly the two mix the arithmetic efficiency and precision of electronic music with beautiful piano tunes and some of the fattest drums there are. The title track is a good example for this. It is jazzy, it is groovy and there is much to discover in the layers upon layers of sound.
The song that really stood out to me was ”Swimming Trees” because it does not have a lot of the things I just described. It is a very mellow and lo-fi song, with little more than drums and a piano. Some samples sprinkled here and there, and we’ve got ourselves the calmest song of the album. The samples sound like metal hitting the ground and reminded me of empty shells from a rifle, though I could be totally off here.
The last song, ”Kendama”, might be my favourite on the record though. In general it is just more of the things that make Glass Museum so great, but reduced a bit. The drums really shine on this one, but the rest also just fits in so great.
I’ve waited almost a year since my discovery of Glass Museum to get to hear a new album and Reflet was well worth the wait. If what I have described sounds only mildly interesting to you, go ahead and check it out. It is just fantastic in so many ways. The only problem now is, that I have to wait again for their next album.
