Glasgow!, One of Me (Saints Day Media)


“Progressive” and “experimental” are the first two words that come to mind hearing the instrumentation on One of Me, the new EP from New Orleans’ own Glasgow! The smattering of string arrangements, banjo, organ, and even harpsichord mixed with the Holy Trinity of rock (guitars, bass, drums) is quite disarming. Something like that could have only come from a duo as quirky and classically trained as the band’s brothers Sam and Jack Craft. There are a couple of instances where it doesn’t quite work, most notably the trumpet arrangement on the plodding “Drum.” But still, the instrumentation remains their ultimate strength, as it helps the record and the band stand out among their peers and their recordings. The harpsichord song, “Sea Shanty,” would have been decent with a traditional arrangement, but that one left-of-center sound gives it a distinct, almost baroque quality and makes it unforgettable. Of course, wicked lyrics such as “I’m a butcher in a vegan town / Invited to dinner / I don’t understand” don’t hurt matters either. This bizarre sense of humor is also prevalent in the EP’s paranoid closer “Zombies!” All in all, on One of Me, Glasgow! offers its listeners a fresh take on what local rock can sound like.