Glorytellers’ latest release Current Resident is a gentle melodious album, with roots in classic Americana with a strong indie vibe.
The album has a lot of heart; however, it failed to grab my attention. Each track has a sound almost identical to the last, with soft guitar strumming, understated double bass and violin and noodley arpeggios plucked out on the mandolin.
Standing alone each track has a lot of charm and is very listenable, however by the third track I found myself longing for something new, a different tone or pace, or a catchy hook to latch on to, yet found myself let down track after track.
The technical skill on display in the album is fantastic, however – in particular the mandolin playing some very impressive little licks throughout the record and frontman Geoff Farina’s voice sits perfectly in the mix and compliments the music very, very well.
Glorytellers are a group of clearly talented musicians writing songs that sit far from the typical manufactured music that fills the charts, with an uncompromised, genuine sound that in itself is worthy of applause. However, the lack of variation on show leaves the album feeling rather flat and very forgettable. It’s certainly a far cry from Farina’s previous act, innovative 90s post-rock crew Karate.
I feel there is an audience out there for this album, it would make very nice hotel lobby music, perhaps on in the background at a dinner party, however when attention is directed fully onto it, it falls short of the mark.