Album review by KevW
This article also appears on http://www.soundsxp.com
It was following singer/guitarist John Frazier's relocation from Louisiana to Baltimore that Dead Mellotron was born, with the addition of Courtney Corcoran and Aimee Bowen to add flesh to the bones of his ideas. Two self-released albums followed and now, two years on, 'Glitter' arrives fully-formed and with the hope of propelling them towards some form of wider recognition. These seven tracks are far from commercial, but by god they're good, and while this means they won't be troubling the mainstream, it should be enough to swell their fanbase considerably.
'Glitter' is largely instrumental and when vocals are used they're so heavily treated and pushed back in the mix that it has the effect of merging with the backing rather than taking any kind of lead. As such, any actual lyrics are barely distinguishable, instead padding out the already dense layers of resonating reverb. This is no noise-fest however, and songs such as 'Making Up' are both delicately pretty and loaded with gentle distortion. Analogue electronics seem to be pushed to a crackling breaking point, although the result isn't harsh, it's a warming hum that envelopes you in its cascading fog.
The simple riff of 'Babe' becomes more dreamy than it has any right to be when wrapped in this blanket, and the chiming 'Oohahh' simply soars, again pushed upwards by the thrum of the equipment. From the opening, pounding haze of 'Stranger' to the build and fade of the feedback in closer 'Dying', Dead Mellotron have created a wash of tumultuous, reverberating sound that's both beautiful and accessible. They say that watching a dying star can be a breathtaking experience; who knew that listening to a Dead Mellotron would have the same effect.
A free download of 'Stranger' is available here
Dead Mellotron's website
Pre-order the album
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