Glassacre
September 16th
Hidden Shoal Recordings

Glassacre are Australians Chris Mason and Cam Merton, a pair of musicians who's been creating and making music for a decade or so - both on solo basis, in bands (CSR, Lake Disappointment, Silo, Chris Mason Implosion, My Majestic Star) and now together. Mr Merton is also the manager of the excellent Hidden Shoal Recordings label. No need to fear this shoal if you're messing up navigation so that your vessel gets stranded. Hidden Shoal is the best shoal around for castaways. Musical gems a-hoy!

The duo put out their first single and first EP a couple of years ago, and a month before xmas September 16th was launched as a foretaste for their upcoming debut album. Glassacre play nocturnal pop, a mixture of indie (when 80s turned 90s) and electronica, as in shoegaze with more than a haze of guitars. Check their myspace site and the listed influences makes sense. The whispering, whirling "September 16th" is highly suggestive, and a song which is growing after every new spin. "Sanctuary" is a bit more trippy, tricky, quite introvert, and not as immediate - at least to my ears. Anyway, a cool single it is, and a promising preview from the full length to come.

The forthcoming full album Without Sleep is to be released early 2008.

Copyright © 2008 Håvard Oppøyen