This year we’ve gone all nostalgic and reunion crazy with all sorts of bands getting back together, from Pavement, Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More, Spandau Ballet and of course Take That. And for some reason our love for these bands somehow quadruples the second time round after merely existing with their extensive discography. But what about bands that were not so big the first time round?
Glassjaw are one of them and they’re back! At, um, Wembley Stadium. Not a bad start for a band that have been hiding away. The melodic experimental rockers will support Brand New but will them embark on a few headline dates themselves after.
So why should anyone care that they’re back? Well they might have only had 2 albums but the effect they had on music still lives. New York post-hardcore band Glassjaw were once deemed legends for the influence they had on underground music with just 2 albums. The riotous and intensity they delivered at gigs was also an eye-opener and they managed to get a cult fan base without having to over expose themselves. Now after a hiatus they’re back.
Some might say Glassjaw’s debut album Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence was one of the best albums of their generation when it was released in 2000.
Its powerful aggressiveness mixed with melody was a unique mix that Roadrunner records should have been proud to have on their roster, but actually they caused the band to hate the label. The band didn’t agree with how Roadrunner ran their business, and wanted to play way more gigs than they were allowed, so they left the label that they felt only cared about Slipknot.
Bassist Manuel Carrero was also kicked out of the band (who is now back with the new line up) and so a few changes took place. Soon the melodic experimental rockers began work on the follow up Worship And Tribute with Warner Bros.
It was a more mature and complex album than the debut bringing in all sorts of influences from Bad brains to Anthrax to The Cure. Key songs on Worship And Tribute were ‘cosmopolitan blood loss’ and ‘ape dos mil’ which showed just why they influenced bands like Finch and The Passion Pit.
The gigs started to come through thick and fast too, extensively touring the world until they decided on a hiatus in 2004, which gave front man Palumbo time to work on another project, Head Automatica.
Before this though, all the remaining members of Glassjaw were kicked out the band. Not exactly the most settled of bands! Palumbo soon engaged his interest of hip-hop and brit pop with the new project and out came songs like Beating Heart Baby. Most people assumed Glassjaw had split up and became Finch fans instead.
Over the years the band did things in dribs and drabs. A support act for Deftones, A B-side EP release and a few festival slots but nothing us UK fans could get majorly excited about.
Now, out of nowhere, they’re supporting Brand New, with a few headline gigs as well, so what does this mean for Glassjaw’s future? Is this just another one-off appearance until the next one in 5 years, or will there be a new album?
Well Glassjaw fans, it looks like the latter. Palumbo confirmed back in July that there would be an EP and album some time next year that would be the most aggressive Glassjaw have been to date. But do we really have room for Glassjaw in 2010?
We all need some aggressive passion with melodic/emotional experimentation in our lives, but if you don’t like it, at least try and spot the Mike Patton influences.
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