Album Notes

Kerry Lengel
The Arizona Republic
April 5, 2001

'Fainter Farther Still'

****

Gloritone-distributed by (Hayden's Ferry)

If Gloritone had been playing in Seattle in 1991, it
probably would have its own Behind the Music
special by now. Sure, the infamous "banana split incident" from the Howard Stern Show would be mentioned, but Swan Dive deserves to be blaring from radios, regardless. This album's opening track is a Nirvana-esque masterpiece of blistering guitar riffs, pummeling syncopations and sneering melodies.

Maybe it's just Tim Anthonise's fiercely melodic full-throat rasp, but the Nirvana influence is also unmistakable on tracks such as When in Rome, while others, including Die to Make a Dent with its low, half-growling guitar, fall more in the vein of the Meat Puppets.

Elsewhere, Gloritone explores farther afield. The Same Horse has a gently hypnotic beat and chiming, ethereal guitars, and the exquisitely melancholy Dear Vesuvius, a minimalist construction of lo-fi rhythm loops and haunting acoustic arpeggios, shows the band is ready to compete in the Radiohead era.

Don't let the name-dropping comparisons fool you: Gloritone's music is definitely part of the post-punk tradition, but the songwriting is confidently original and consistently moving. This is Arizona rock at its best.