A Sunny Day in Glasgow

5

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

This Philadelphia band first came onto my radar with their excellent 2014 album Sea When Absent, however, the band had been making waves since 2009 with their self-released E.P. The Sunniest Day Ever. Philly has a rich music history and this band really adds to that mix. There have been multiple line-up changes since their formation in 2006. In their humble beginnings, A Sunny Day in Glasgow compromised of Ben Daniels and his twin sisters Robin and Lauren (who would later leave the band). The best way to describe their sound is ambient-pop. I say "ambient-pop" because I feel like the term "dream-pop" is a bit over-played and under-stated. However, they are in line with bands like Grizzly Bear and My Bloody Valentine. A Sunny Day in Glasgow is perfect music to listen to while sun-bathing in the park... perfect three-minute pop songs. Honestly, to just under-sell this band as a "shoe-gaze" band (how did shoes end up in music genres?) would to be selling them short. They draw experience in everything from blaring rock to banging-hip-hop beats. This is a clear-eyed and cloud-bursting band. The vocals are stretched into an abstract moan and bellow, processed into strips and streams. This Philly band is "The Walking Dead" of gorgeous guitar rock. The band consists of former hardcore punks. The ex-con front-man has a sunny, psychedelic gloss which gives the band a decaying core. If none of this makes sense: put any of their albums on and have a sheet of their lyrics printed off for each of their songs and read as you listen; then you will understand what I'm trying to say. [Sample lyric: "Swallow corrosive confection/ Decay, rotting in your womb/ I can wallow in your filth" Another sample lyric: "The train moves me east/ Where the mouths of Heaven/ Devour me"] The darkness of the lyrics + the brightness of the melodies makes for one of the most original and amazing bands of the 21st century. You can disassemble and rearrange this music in anyway you want, and you'll find yourself in a beautiful hallucination of being at a
hipster-club... at the bottom of a lake... in space...? Alright... now that I think about it... these terms/genres like "dream-pop" and "shoe-gaze" make more sense than what I'm trying to describe with A Sunny Day in Glasgow. What else can I say; These Philadelphia tweegazers are keep the eternal flame of haze, pop, layers and noise alive. If you like atmospheric, water-color-quality music... punctuated with explosive joy... then you may find yourself in...

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

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