Reverend Glasseye

Happy End and Begin (Music for Cats)
by Brian Varney

I have no idea what kinda audience something like this would draw, but the drunkenly pitched waltz tempos, the seeming interest in calliope music, and the heavy reliance on percussion makes me think of Tom Waits right away. I can’t say any of the songs stick to my brain, but it’s heavy on cool-sounding atmosphere. I’m usually fairly demanding when it comes to songs, but for something that’s so obviously drink-till-you-fall-down-and-imagine-wild-animals-that-aren’t-there-trampling-across-the-bar-room-floor music, I suppose the reliance upon atmosphere to carry the record isn’t such a bad thing.

The one area where Reverend Glasseye really lacks is the vocals. Music with this much character demands a unique voice. This voice need not be traditionally beautiful, but it should be able to hold its own against the music’s craggy textures, and unfortunately, in Reverend Glasseye’s case, it doesn’t. There’s nothing wrong with the vocals, but they’re a bit too ordinary to truly complement the music’s wacky otherness. As a result, the whole experience is drawn a bit closer to ground level, and this is clearly not where the band wants to take you.
(www.musicforcatsrecords.com)