So here it is, in all its glory, the album Daryl (Palumbo) promised to
change everything you though you knew about him. Who’s Daryl Palumbo,
I hear you ask? Only vocalist and could possibly be called the brains
for straight edge/post-hardcore/screamo band and to an extent, the
whole genre, with Glassjaw. Until now Daryl’s all been about having a
strong, clean, mind and making music that doesn’t care whether you
accept it for what it is. So for Glassjaw and hardcore purists,
considering this until recently has been reasonably secret stuff,
Daryl’s funk rock collaborations with mixer/producer/MC Dan the
Automator (Gorillaz) and almost certainly falling off the wagon, Head
Automatica would seem like a disaster. But this still manages to be one of
the best records in years, why? Because it’s a fresh, upbeat, but thought
provoking pop, yes pop, music experience that can be loved by all with no
costs. There’s no room for fear here, this is what pop music really should
be like, being an upbeat enjoyable experience, but still using all the workmanship you can achieve with any hardcore/metal band.
This album is every sense of the word 'fun'. The fantastic production work and melodies make this an album for almost anyone to just get down and dance to. It’s an original, eclectic collection of songs that quite simple just make you want to enjoy life. A prime example here would be ‘Please, Please, Please (Young Hollywood)’ a song about an un-named girl who has no idea where she’s going with her faith in a masterwork of funk rock and a proud chorus of ‘Please/ Let me anoint the lust inside you/ Please/ Let me devalue what’s inside you.’ Which has a wide range of sounds that makes something fresh with rock and is what is needed from the bland superficiality you’ll find on TV and radio, which with the title ‘Decadence’ suggests that, that is exactly what its about.
The other major concern for Daryl fans is that, this album has supposedly been slowly splitting up Glassjaw, but when you see that Glassjaw’s drummer Larry Gorman does all the drumming here and the other members offered their support, there really doesn’t seem like there’s any evidence of that happening, and even if it was, Glassjaw would be ending on an extreme high note anyway. And lyrically, throughout this album, despite its happy upbeat tones, the usual dark lyrics you would expect from Daryl are all here, and still publishing the message they always have been. And what else is great about this album? The fact that a funk rock album that uses samples and tip-toes around hip hop throughout its duration, is still performed by a live band, and done well, its sounds reminiscent of those Faith No More achieved ten years ago, although there’s less heavy metal riffs happening here.
It’s an album you will want to hear over and over again, it can sooth any mood, in can make you dance, it can even make you sing. And it never loses pace. Some may have found this sudden idea of Daryl’s a tad pretentious when he announced it one year ago, but there’s no denial that he has done the job perfectly here, and that this will only boost Daryl’s talent and respect as he dives in and out of creating amazing music in both heavy hardcore, and it the far lighter funk, rock and pop. This was possibly the creative boost Daryl needed and the bets on that the next Glassjaw album will be phenomenal, providing they get it together.
Adam Turner-Heffer |
| Coding: Darren Burrows