The musical backdrop, inspired by 90’s pop and hip hop, helps to convey the message of hope even in difficult circumstances (“You say it’s been a pleasure/I hope you’re misled”). “Last Good Advice” is about having to say goodbye to someone before their time. Fitting for a song so obsessed with time (“fifteen years atonement/to face dream logic”), the musical motif nods to early rock and roll, with tremolo guitar and subdominant minor chords. “I’m Not Certain” captures a late bloomer’s introspective, undetermined nature.“I am careful” is contrasted with “back seat stoic/always certain”. The song is musically spacious, allowing room for Beaton’s expansive lead vocal to be heard virtually unaccompanied. “Marooned” describes the ramifications of not expressing yourself (“In the moment we’ve come to be restrained”), and how isolating this can be. The plaintive chorus is used in a deceptive way: despite the strings and the attractive consonant chords, this is not a love song. “Free Time” grapples with self-consciousness and apathy, how sometimes it feels like these forces are unstoppable (“how the logic bends/just to ice you out”). The diversity of instruments-including brass and meditative keys-adds depth to the song’s indie rock underpinnings. “Compromise” is about struggling to trust your gut instincts (“I always compromise/on my bottom line/too fast”), being a passive versus active participant. These songs describe emotional struggles in enigmatic phrases. With this album, they are looking to normalize the fade-out again.Įmboldened by the success of their previous efforts, Glassreel is taking musical risks and drawing from a diverse set of influences including Fleetwood Mac, Aimee Mann, Pixies, Fiona Apple, Phillip Glass, The New Pornographers, Jennifer Castle and Heitor Villa-Lobos. The lyrics are unique but resonant, while electronic percussion and synthesizers punctuate the musical arrangement. Glassreel brings their penchant for vocal interplay, cathartic arrangements and unforgettable melodies to a new level on Lustre. These eight tracks represent an artistic step forward for the band, as they present a fresh and diverse range of material. With nowhere to go and no shows to play, the concept grew and grew, as did the sound palette. Mike Beaton had a gigantic part in the sound of this record, and he pushed Glassreel to dig deep both performance-wise and concept-wise. The primary producer on this record is Mike Beaton (no relation to Kelly Beaton), though Trevor Graumann and Kelly Beaton also had a lot of involvement in the production. The fact that this writing coincides with the pandemic may help to explain the existential dread mentioned above. Most of this album was written in 2020, with some songs being completed in 2021. “Last Good Advice” is about saying goodbye to somebody before their time, which adds to this theme of existential questioning.
“Bigger Than You” and “Fix Is In” are both about walking away from destructive relationships. The idea of overcoming or even walking away from struggle is also a predominant theme. Connected to that is the idea of finding your place in the world, grappling with the forces of apathy and self-consciousness in order to get to your better self.
The band also took great pains to give the music a shimmering, enlivening quality.Įxistential dread is a theme for this album (the word “dread” appears in two different songs). The title Lustre stems from the reflective and introspective nature of the album’s material. The album was mastered by Grammy nominated engineer Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Andy Shauf) at Phil's Lab in Ottawa. Glassreel recorded Lustre in two Winnipeg studios: Argyle Studio in Aug 2021 (recorded by Cam Loeppky), with everything else being done at Private Ear Recording (by Mike Beaton) just after the holidays in Dec 2021.
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