| Glum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Studio | Kingsway | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 49:41 | |||
| Label | Imago | |||
| Producer |
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| Giant Sand chronology | ||||
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Glum is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1994. [1] [2] It was the band's first album to be distributed by a major label. [3] Giant Sand supported it with a North American tour. [4]
Recorded at Daniel Lanois's New Orleans home studio, the album was produced by Malcolm Burn, Howe Gelb, and John Convertino. [5] Gelb wrote "Bird Song" with his young daughter. [5] "Frontage Road" is about characters living in a subdivision. [6] Pappy Allen sang on the cover of Hank Williams's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"; the album is dedicated to him. [7] [8] Victoria Williams contributed vocals to "Spun". [9] Chris Cacavas, of Green on Red, played keyboards on "1 Helvakowboy Song". [10] Rainer Ptacek played a dobro on "Left"; Peter Holsapple contributed slide guitar to "Yer Ropes". [11] [12] "Painted Bird" was inspired by the Jerzy Kosiński novel. [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Arizona Republic | [13] |
| Philadelphia Daily News | [6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [14] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10 [15] |
| The Tampa Tribune | [3] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music | [16] |
The Philadelphia Daily News wrote that "Gelb writes and growls the glum, surreal sagas of life on the edge with the passion of a man possessed." [6] Rolling Stone said that the title track "trails an especially gnarled solo with an Ivory-soft surf-guitar finale as its lyrics twist from contempt to confusion." [14] Newsday concluded that "if music this genuinely idiosyncratic can penetrate the mainstream, then there truly has been an alternative revolution." [17] Trouser Press opined that Gelb's "unilateral rejection of form can get a bit tiring, especially when the meandering 'Frontage Rd.' runs smack into the stoner fusion of '1 Helvakowboy Song'." [18]
The Vancouver Sun praised "Gelb's idiosyncratic electric guitar style—something like getting Crispin Glover drunk and setting him loose with Neil Young's gear." [19] The Washington Post deemed the album a "self-indulgently slapdash effort." [10] The Times Colonist determined that "Glum sounds like an electric and electrifying soundtrack for a modern Heart of Darkness, if Kurtz were holed up in a broken-down trailer in the California desert instead of the jungle." [20] The Arizona Republic stated that the album "blends the experimental and obscure with twangy, insistent rock beats." [13]
Mojo considered Glum to be "an obscure gem" and Giant Sand's "masterpiece". [21]
Out in L.A. is a compilation of rare tracks by the Red Hot Chili Peppers released November 1, 1994, on EMI. Interpreted by music critics as an attempt by EMI to capitalise on the group's newfound success with Warner Bros., it collects remixes, demo recordings, live covers and outtakes. On release, Out in L.A. received negative reviews from music critics.
Calexico is an American indie rock band based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1996, the band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records and City Slang, and their 2005 EP, In the Reins, recorded with Iron & Wine, reached the Billboard 200 album charts. Their musical style is influenced by traditional Latin sounds of mariachi, conjunto, cumbia, and tejano mixed with country, jazz, and post-rock.
Lisa Ruth Germano is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Indiana. Her album Geek the Girl (1994) was chosen as a top album of the 1990s by Spin magazine. She began her career as a violinist for John Mellencamp. As of 2018, she has released thirteen albums.
Ham Fisted is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Local H. It was released through Island Records in January 1995. Two songs, "Cynic" and "Mayonnaise and Malaise", were released as airplay singles in 1994, though the album failed to chart. A music video for "Cynic" was directed by Jodi Wille and released in February 1995.
Giant Sand is an American musical group from Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its most constant member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. The groups have developed idiosyncratic sound rooted in alternative country, but touching on a wide range of other styles and featuring Gelb's beatnik-influenced vocals and songwriting. Since about 2012, they have also performed as Giant Giant Sand when featuring a larger ensemble than their traditional four to six musicians.
One Step Ahead of the Spider is the third album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus, released in 1994. According to some advance CD copies, the album was originally titled Loony Tunes.
Howard “Howe” Gelb is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer based in Tucson, Arizona.
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is the fourth solo album by American alt-country musician Neko Case, released March 7, 2006 by ANTI- Records. The album was found on many “Best of” lists that year and had a bonus disc released by ANTI- in November of the following year.
Rainer Ptacek, also known mononymously as Rainer, was a German-American guitarist and singer-songwriter based in Tucson, Arizona for much of his adult life. His guitar technique, which incorporated slide, finger-picking, tape loops and electronic manipulation, earned him the admiration of notable musicians such as Robert Plant and Billy Gibbons.
Chore of Enchantment is a studio album by the alternative rock band Giant Sand. It was released in March 2000 by Thrill Jockey.
I Hope It Lands is an album by the American band Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. It was released in 1996 through Communion Records.
The Coincidentalist is the 21st studio album by American singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. It was released on 5 November 2013 worldwide, by American independent label New West Records. Teaming up with M. Ward and Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, Gelb brings eleven songs inspired by his native Arizona Desert, in which he recorded KT Tunstall's fifth album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon earlier in 2013.
Ballad of a Thin Line Man is the second album by American band Giant Sand. It was released in 1986 by record label Zippo.
Ramp is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1991. The album was released via frontman Howe Gelb's Amazing Black Sand label, before being picked up by Restless Records.
Big Money Item is an album by the American power pop band the Greenberry Woods, released in 1995. The band broke up two weeks after its release. "Smash-Up" and "Super Geek" were released as singles.
Loud & Lonesome is an album by the American musician Eric Ambel. The album is credited to Eric Ambel and Roscoe's Gang, with Ambel adopting his Roscoe persona. It was first released by Belgium's Survival Europe record label.
Forgery is an album by the American band Monks of Doom, released in 1992. It was the band's first album to be distributed by a major label, and their second after the breakup of the members' former band, Camper Van Beethoven. Monks of Doom supported the album with a North American tour.
The Shadow of Your Smile is the debut album by the American band Friends of Dean Martinez, released in 1995. The band included members of two Arizona bands: Joey Burns and John Convertino, of Giant Sand, and Bill Elm, Tom Larkins, and Van Christian, of Naked Prey. The band changed their name from Friends of Dean Martin right before the album's release, after threat of legal action by Martin's representatives.
Born Under is the debut album by the American musician Martin Zellar, released in 1995. Its first two singles were "Lie to Me" and "Problem Solved". The album was rereleased, with bonus tracks, in 2004.
Center of the Universe is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1992. It was the first Giant Sand album to receive wide distribution and a traditional promotional campaign. It was also the band's first album for Restless Records, which had rereleased a couple of older Giant Sand albums. The band supported Center of the Universe with a North American tour.