Ex-
Brian Jonestown Massacre percussionist/multi-instrumentalist
Brian Glaze goes solo on this debut under his own name. The accompanying press kit calls him a "psychedelic troubadour" and that's a close enough mini description to start most listeners off. Somewhat similar to early
Syd Barrett/
Pink Floyd with a side of
Roky Erickson/
13th Floor Elevators,
the Seeds,
the Electric Prunes, and a little -- but not enough --
Cramps, the disc starts out strong with the reverb-heavy "Oh Baby Don't Go to the Sea." But somewhere around the middle of the album, the songs lose a sense of urgency, and the set begins a decline from which it never really recovers. Upbeat tracks such as the twangy "Don't Believe in Love" wade in garagey
Standells-styled "Dirty Water," but the gloppy, creepy "Oakland Kills Me" floats behind a sinister Farfisa and some of the acoustic tunes, like the humorously titled "Brittle Piece of My Heart," seem like rehearsal scraps that still need to be fleshed out. The audio is appropriately minimal, with most of the album sounding like it was recorded in mono on reel-to-reel tape in producer
Greg Ashley's (
Brother JT/
Gris Gris) closet.
Glaze doesn't have much of a voice, but he gets by on enthusiasm and his druggy, airy vocals connect with this similarly wispy material. A few edgier and more rocking songs would have helped the disc resonate instead of dragging, but
Glaze is following his muse here, which is admirable. It's just not always enjoyable to listen to.