“la_gloria”
La Gloria
Jeremiad
Freedom From
La Gloria balances consonance and dissonance, song and soundscape. They create long, sweeping landscapes of droning sound with periodic songs breaking in. And good songs they are, they fit into the structure of the album, and really augment the flow without distracting from it.
After hearing the record, it’s no surprise that they are from New Zealand. The sound falls squarely into the lo-fi kiwi aesthetic. Considering the instrument list, this is surprisingly melodic. They use on this records: amps, guitars, roto mikes,. record players, tapes, sampler, Yamaha synth, vocals, switches, bass, violin, shimshaw, pick up transducers, and radios. That is not to say that they don’t kick the distortion up every now and them, but they show more restraint than, say, the Dead C.
The title track “Jeremiad” is one of the prettiest songs I have heard in a while, featuring yearning vocals, and low key dronage. “Benchtop” has sharp, repetitive guitars that remind me of Flying Saucer Attack, except less drowsy. “Douse With the Dust of Angels” shows more glittering; fuzzy guitar while “Spite for the Millenniumists” closes the record with mournful synths and cloudy vocals.
While many of their New Zealand brethren focus on fuzzy guitar droneouts, La Gloria concentrate on shorter, more emotive statements. Wonderful.
Freedom From, 1230 Washington #1, Minneapolis, MN 55413; sonitus7@juno.com
