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SXSW review: Glasser
Glasser, the genre-bending outfit that has turned some heads over the last year touring with the likes of Sigur Ros and The xx, is more than a band—it’s performance art, the kind that probably isn’t going to find a home in Austin’s more country-rock or even punk-inspired clubs (well, maybe a few). They look insane, and not in a mohawk and nose ring sort of way, but in a shiny patchwork jumpsuit, we just traveled from the future and it looks like a dark, dystopic version of the 80’s sort of way. The get-ups set the stage for the bizarre and often unsettling musical world of the Los Angeles-based group, led by singer Cameron Mesirow.
Mesirow started the set with an a cappella rendition of the folk song “Let No Man Steal Your Thyme.” It was innocent enough, but that quickly gave way to something less soothing. Glasser’s songs take what are often sad, slow R&B/soul style vocals and layer them with African-influenced and electronic dance beats. To that the band added vocal loops and flourishes of piano. The formula could be pleasing to the ear, but only after was introduced in an uncomfortable way, with troubling bass and discordant effects filling the air. Mesirow’s stage presence progressed in a similar way as she alternated between evil marionette and storyteller, beckoning the audience with her hands. That’s the great thing about this group—they made the audience work a bit to access the music. It was all very refreshing at a festival where the sound of 2,000 bands can start to blend together.
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