Search - Gunga Din :: Glitterati

Five stars over brooklyn

jeremy walton | chicago | 08/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"up until february, i was engaged in a rather typical young and quasihip lifestyle in the apple. occasionally i would wander the streets of brooklyn or manhattan and notice a flyer for this uniquely named band plastered to a telephone pole or chain-link fence, despite the ubiquitous "post no bills" injunction. i had heard rumors of their talent and knew that at least one of them had played with nick cave, never a bad name to have on your musical resume. but i was lax, missed their gigs and moved to memphis. three months later, immersed in my own dixieland melodrama, i caught their show at the young avenue deli. aside from the make-up, they were easily the sexiest band to hit memphis since my arrival. siobhan duffy's mollasses vocals, maria zastrows gender-bending keyboard hijinks and bill bronson's expert melding of guitar genres riveted the ragamuffin crowd. i was in love, at least for the evening. i bought the album (which came with a complimentary love kit) and have not gone over two days without listening to it since. while it is no approximation of their live show, glitterati is undoubtedly a haunting work of musical innovation (if not utter genius). i picture this band huddled in the smokey basement of some east village apartment complex, circa 1980, listening to white light/white heat, horses and some early tom waits bootlegs before jamming all night long. glitterati has its fill of tuneful irony, particularly the songs "mama", "hollywood", and "let's play a game". "brave new world", the opening track, has become a requisite inclusion on recent compilations (its much more satisfying than its literary namesake). while the album is not without flaws (several of the melodies are less than original), it manages to incorporate its low points into a soundscape which is ethereal and rockin. so it's a good album and i highly recommend it. the fifth star is because they are so sexy and gave me a love kit."

Its Glitter Never Dulls

Eric Sanberg | Berwyn, IL United States | 04/06/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I know nothing of this band or its history. I merely happened on an advance release, threw it in the CD player for a listen and was pleasantly surprized. These folks aren't shooting for the number one single or an instant MTV type hit. They seem to be taking a higher road and looking to explore more uncharted territory. No one member in the band strikes me as looking to establish themself as a virtuoso musician, nor are they trying to muscle their audience with pure voltage. They try more for texture and nuance than anything else. Seems to me I remember this sort of approach in bands like X and others of the earlier punk and new wave era, but this in no way sounds dated. The approach is fresher and the constant unexpectedness in their writing, playing and singing might lend them a more timeless quality. I suppose I found them more curious than anything and admittedly my attention began to drift as the CD drew near its end. However, I'd rather own stack of releases like this than try to plow my way through various versions of the same old same old. This appears to be the band's second release and I hope they stay together long enough to realize a further community in writing and formulating a release. They are in a nifty zip code, they just haven't quite found the address."