Credited on nearly 400 releases and having played with huge bands such as Nirvana, The Melvins, and Redd Kross, Dale Crover embodies the American Dream as a rock artist. The multi-instrumentalist has released three studio albums under his name, with Glossolalia as his most recent release. This album recently emerged this year and features an electrifying start with a self-titled track featuring the world-renowned singer and songwriter Tom Waits. This introductory track is both fun and catchy. It is polite on the ears yet unapologetically a rock song.
The next track “Doug Yuletide” seems to have a gritty 90’s grunge feel, with melodies and arrangements similar to bands such as Alice In Chains and Nirvana. The lead guitar melody that ebbs and flows throughout the entire track seems to be cognizant of the lead melody in Nirvana’s “All Apologies.” The vocals in Crover’s piece also seem to follow a similar suit.
Other tracks such as “Jane” feature fun breakdowns followed by electrically charged guitar riffs. Crover’s vocals are gritty and hard-hitting, with fast paced lines of lyrics unfolding immediately after each other. This whole project definitely has a fresh, modern garage rock feel to it, implying that Crover has been putting in some effort to stay current with his art. In fact, Crover even recruited American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ty Segall for two tracks on Glossolalia. Segall is known for the resurgence and innovation of modern psychedelic garage rock. These tracks definitely do a lot in defining the project’s sound as modern and garage.
The track ends with “Punchy,” an almost slow, psychedelic ballad one might find in a twisted urban wasteland in a sci-fi action movie. This track is slightly reminiscent to Pink Floyd’s slower, trippy tracks, all while continuing to follow the albums’ themes of abrasive yet polite music. Overall, this album is certainly worth listening to it. The dull moments are minimal, and tension constantly rises and falls, keeping the listening engaged and activated. Fans of grunge, garage, alternative, indie, and rock as a whole will have a great time listening to Glossolalia. With such an impressive repertoire of music, it is exciting to see what Dale Crover does next.
Leave a Comment