Sleepytime Gorilla Museum In Glorious Times
The End Records TE082 May 29, 2007
By Jason Jordan
Writing off Sleepytime Gorilla Museum after hearing Sleep Is Wrong was a knee-jerk reaction to an annoying song that seemed too eccentric for its own good. However, based on Phils review of Grand Opening and Closing, I took a chance and bought The Ends reissue of GOaC, and wouldnt you know, its more endearing than it lets on. Similar to many bizarre albums, though, the replay value is simply not that high. The follow-up to Of Natural History is the same in those regards. That is, In Glorious Times is strangely intoxicating, yet only when listened to between long periods of total abstinence.
Totaling nearly 70 minutes, In Glorious Times is a lengthy one. The Companions itself is 10 minutes, and displays the standard SGM Vaudevillian flare. Again, the fact that several instruments and vocal styles enter and exit the fray keeps the listener on his or her toes, which falls in line with the bands odd, unpredictable nature. Still, they do seem less weird when compared to labelmates such as Unexpect, Stolen Babies, and Estradasphere. Surprisingly heavy is Helpless Corpses Enactment, and while the cello work (think Grayceon) is a plus, the intermittent Korn-ish vocal delivery prevents the song from attaining true gem status. Puppet Show is entertaining due to the Martian-conjuring keyboards, while it could be said that Formicary and Angle of Repose are too vocal-reliant. The latter parallels Estradasphere more closely than anything else on the record, although other songs certainly employ similar characteristics as well as a number of different tempos to match.
Just like real life museums of any sort, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum are intriguing to visit once in a while, but not on a daily basis. So, pretentious or not, In Glorious Times is a solid endeavor for the extremely open-minded who desire unique, quirky material, but only occasionally.
Official Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Website
Official The End Records Website
The End Records TE082 May 29, 2007
By Jason Jordan
Writing off Sleepytime Gorilla Museum after hearing Sleep Is Wrong was a knee-jerk reaction to an annoying song that seemed too eccentric for its own good. However, based on Phils review of Grand Opening and Closing, I took a chance and bought The Ends reissue of GOaC, and wouldnt you know, its more endearing than it lets on. Similar to many bizarre albums, though, the replay value is simply not that high. The follow-up to Of Natural History is the same in those regards. That is, In Glorious Times is strangely intoxicating, yet only when listened to between long periods of total abstinence.
Totaling nearly 70 minutes, In Glorious Times is a lengthy one. The Companions itself is 10 minutes, and displays the standard SGM Vaudevillian flare. Again, the fact that several instruments and vocal styles enter and exit the fray keeps the listener on his or her toes, which falls in line with the bands odd, unpredictable nature. Still, they do seem less weird when compared to labelmates such as Unexpect, Stolen Babies, and Estradasphere. Surprisingly heavy is Helpless Corpses Enactment, and while the cello work (think Grayceon) is a plus, the intermittent Korn-ish vocal delivery prevents the song from attaining true gem status. Puppet Show is entertaining due to the Martian-conjuring keyboards, while it could be said that Formicary and Angle of Repose are too vocal-reliant. The latter parallels Estradasphere more closely than anything else on the record, although other songs certainly employ similar characteristics as well as a number of different tempos to match.
Just like real life museums of any sort, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum are intriguing to visit once in a while, but not on a daily basis. So, pretentious or not, In Glorious Times is a solid endeavor for the extremely open-minded who desire unique, quirky material, but only occasionally.
Official Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Website
Official The End Records Website
