GLASS

Epic but not empty, Deeply personal but reassuringly communal and uplifting despite the melancholy. The eight tracks that make up "Teenage Galaxies" flow together like cahpters of a book. from the brooding opener Candle, to the summer-hit-in-waiting 'After The Rain' via forthcoming single. The souring The Bravest Thing.
Teenage Galaxies reveals itself with every listen. - Mojo (www.mojo4music.com)

As opening track "Candle" begins there's a distinct nod to the late Elliott Smith and the whispery, pain-soaked laments that crowned him a cult musical hero. It's no mean feat this Manchester three-piece has aimed for. With such high aspirations, they're treading on dangerous, hallowed ground.

Their American influences are prevalent throughout the album from the west coast sunshine sounds of Pavement and Malkmus on "Embryo" to the East Coast grit of The Pixies on "Angels In The Snow" with a little bit of New Mexican Shins thrown in on the track "Ivy".

But this is not mere mimickery. It would be churlish to suggest there wasn't a true uniqueness forging its own voice throughout. There's a quintessential Englishness to the proceedings and a very raw and vivid Manchester sound to the album.

It is essentially one long love poem, in the tradition of Keats or Byron but it is within the backdrop of a place, where jobs are scarce and love is mostly always painful and unrequited, that "Teenage Galaxies" takes off in an entirely new and clever direction.

Formed in 2007, Glass have released their debut on the Caserta Red label under the guiding influence of Andy Macpherson at Revolution and Kevin Matthews of Puressence. The band, comprising Paul Baird (Vocals, Guitars, Piano), Martin Cowan (Bass) and Chris Norwood (Drums) are relative newcomers but already with a tour to Greece and gigs at the Manchester Apollo and Band on the Wall, they're ones to watch.

Lucia Cox
Chimp Magazine, June 2010 - Chimp Magazine (www.chimpmagazine.co.uk)

Debut Single "The Bravest Thing" added to NME radio "A" list for 8 weeks during 2010 - NME (www.nme.com)

Glass are led by Paul Baird, a man with the angst of Cobain and Yorke and the voice of a warrior angel; a singer who can combine the fragile, with a shatteringly powerful rock aria. Long term bassplayer Martin Cowan underpins matters with solid and expressively low slung yet delicious patterns, whilst the almost legendary Chris Norwood (The Flow / Amber Club) is now firmly established as their resilient and dynamic drummer. This album has been in the pipeline for a while, each song being meticulously worked on by the band at Revolution Studios with Andy Macpherson and latterly Justin Richards. This is demonstrated by the track count – Glass are never short of songs, but have carefully chosen just eight tracks to feature here. With Baird’s vocals and the trio pushing out a powerhouse of ethereal highs and lows, there’s certainly an alignment to early Radiohead (“Embryo” / “When The Time Is Right”) , but there’s more romance dialled in and at times a glowing intensity, that eventually kicks into a bright rainbow of pop psychedelia on “After The Rain”. This itself is a sure fire hit and stand out track on an album jammed with heart wrenching messages and burning, guitar-jangling-yet-heavy numbers. No-one seems quite this genuinely emotive these days and too many bands seem to be mostly stuck in disco mode – yet here are Glass, at the heart of the music scene, pouring out their hearts and nailing it all home with an urgency and intensity you’re unlikely to forget.

MMMM ½

By JA
- Manchester Music (www.manchestermusic.co.uk)