It isn't always a compliment to call something watery, but in the case of
Glasser's full-length debut
Ring, it's a glowing one. Virtually every aspect of
Cameron Mesirow's music evokes H2O, from her clear, smooth vocals, to beats that thump and wobble like striking an overflowing bucket, to the way each song flows into the next. Thanks to the help of co-producers
Ariel Rechtshaid and
Van Rivers and The Subliminal Kid,
Ring is much fuller and more polished than the GarageBand demos that made up
Glasser's singles and EPs. Yet there’s still something very primal and direct in the album’s mix of synthetic fantasy textures and old-world, even ancient, melodies, structures, and instruments. Previously released tracks like the tribal invocation “Tremel” and “Apply,” which kicks off the album with menacing fuzz bass and vocals that alternate between a soft croon and a whoop that’s equal parts mating and distress call, are still highlights, reaffirming that comparisons to the futuristic mysticism of
Fever Ray,
Björk,
My Brightest Diamond, and
Bat for Lashes are well-founded. However,
Mesirow is a little more approachable than some of her influences and contemporaries without sacrificing any of her uniqueness, and the rest of
Ring shows just how expansive, yet focused, her vision is. Circular imagery pops up everywhere, whether it’s “Home”'s wedding rings or “Glad”'s marching in a circle.
Mesirow circles the globe with
Ring's music, spanning the sweetly African-infused “Plane Temp” to “Treasury of We”'s gamelan pop; with the seductive “T” and “Mirrorage”'s icy fury,
Glasser circles the emotional spectrum, as well. By the time
Ring's final track “Clamour” ends with the beats that lead into “Apply” -- in effect starting the album over again --
Mesirow has taken listeners through a complete cycle of moods and sounds. Not only is
Ring one of the few albums to feature the Nepalese stringed instrument the sarangi and a structure inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, it’s also a fresh, creative debut that more than fulfills
Glasser's potential. ~ Heather Phares