Glassjaw - Coloring Book EP
Record Label: venues/MerchDirect
Release Date: February 13, 2011
Well, this may or may not be the end stop on the road for another few years for us Glassjaw fans. After eight years, we were first given the Our Color Green EP, a collection of songs that have been performed for some years, and now we are presented with the Coloring Book EP, songs kept vaulted until they premiered live during the first of the year (with the exception of "Black Nurse"). At this point, some of us are skeptical if this is going to be it for another eight years - if not more.
All together, we do have an album's worth of material, and with this new EP clocking in at a little under thirty minutes, I think we haven't been that cheated in all of this. Hell, we all got it for free in one capacity or another. The record is certainly a push forward without losing any sort of heaviness or melodic turn the band is known for, but there is certainly a new feel to the band all around. The songs seem a bit more condensed and at times repetitive in nature. They've taken the long form of songs that often change-up and contain outlandish guitar parts and quick right beats, and have molded the most traditional batch of tunes yet for the band - that's not a negative thing that overshadows the work. With repeat listens, the songs are quite infectious.
There is a distinctive tribal nature and flow of the entire EP, and it's only heightened by Daryl Palumbo's vocals. While this may be the first album that has a lesser range of manipulation in his voice, "Vanilla Poltergeist Snake" shines with Palumbo's creepy nuance of "No one gets out alive," repeated over and over again until Justin Beck, Manny Carrero and Durajih Lang bust out a peaking bridge number. It's on the ending of "Miracles in Inches" that shows Glassjaw still have thatthing that separates them from the rest of the post-hardcore scene. Palumbo's fear in his voice as it almost shivers only breaks through and crescendos in elevation in the chorus. The song's apocalyptic instrumental ending is one the best moments of the album, and really showcases the tonality the record all around encompasses.
With "Black Nurse" and "Gold" being heavy hitters to kick off the album, the real reward is in the closing "Daytona White," where the band creates an alluring atmosphere, and every members' skills definitely shines through, possibly closing this next chapter in the band's career. As Palumbo keeps singing "I can't breathe without you" over and over again, many Glassjaw fans are feeling that sentiment. The direction the band took needed a few listens to sink in, but beyond the surface, deep down, the band has only tightened up their skills - especially with the return of Lang and Carrero - and morphed themselves progressively further. After the two EPs, I've shaken the thought of what someone told they thought it would be The Shape of Punk to Come for the next decade. Both records didn't hit me like that. Rest assured, Glassjaw have solidified their worth as idol worthy and innovators both in the music scene and the industry itself.
When I listened to Our Color Green, I thought it was good but there was something about it that left me with a feeling of 'Is this what they've kept everyone waiting 8 years for? Oh.' But with Coloring Book, they've left me speechless. This is amazing. I want a full-length album in this style, please.
When I listened to Our Color Green, I thought it was good but there was something about it that left me with a feeling of 'Is this what they've kept everyone waiting 8 years for? Oh.' But with Coloring Book, they've left me speechless. This is amazing. I want a full-length album in this style, please.
Exactly, i liked Our Color Green but it wasn't enough, now i'm impressed by this EP.
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