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Review by Jezebel at STARVOX.
Some reviews of Waterglass' recordings and live appearances.... CD reviews Live reviews Distopia Festival, September 2000 Please let us know if you hear of any more (info@waterglass.co.uk).
'Wisdom Like
Silence' 'Now this
is nice. With hints of early House Of Love and literally bucket
loads of vintage Suede, Waterglass are intent on injecting clever
clever guitar music with an overdose of sass. Opener 'Departure'
is a case in point, with its chiming melodies and sky scraping vocals
it's a real thing of beauty indeed. Elsewhere you'll find a plethora
of other delights including: 'Star of the Sea' which is simultaneously
gloriously downbeat yet retaining a sense of airy purpose; 'Staring
at the Sun', an introspective ballad ('I never thought I'd see the
time when it all ends, it was enough to be the one held by your
side') which retains its edge through a suitably up and at 'em chorus;
'Fading Fast' which utilises some brooding yet carefully measured
bass which only serves to highlight the fragility of lead singer
Victoria's voice. The whole thing occasionally lurches into doomed
Goth territory, but there's enough here to keep your lace hanky
awash with tears.' 3/5 - Good Four skulls
out of Five 'Sometimes you have to wait for the good things in life. Waterglass' debut is one of those things. The band has seen a few line-up changes, and the sound has evolved as a result, but this album captures the beautiful melancholy of the band. This album mixes live favourites such as 'Transcendence' and 'Sympathy', of which the latter features Vic sounding much harsher than previous singer Lucinda ever did, and new songs such as the delicate and beautiful studio-only song 'Return' and the Faith-era Cure influenced 'Staring At The Sun'. 'Departure' and 'Long Shore Drift' have been re-recorded and the guitars shimmer even more majestically than before. The dying days of a relationship are explored in the disturbing 'Lover' which captures the love/hate elements and the spitefulness that can only exist where once love blossomed. Just when the claustrophobia becomes too much the song explodes and the emotional shrapnel is scattered for miles around. This is an album for anyone that has ever felt happy, sad, but most importantly alive. This is a band that knows that there is a place in the world for people playing real instruments. These are songs that have a timeless quality that means this album will accompany you through your emotional journeys for years to come.' (Stuart Moses, Kaleidoscope May 2002.) Rating: 7/10 'Departure' 'I still get
transfixed by Lucinda's vocals, even after having seen Waterglass
live nearly ten times now. It's not often you find a singer on this
scene that has to, and knows to, step back from the microphone to
keep from overpowering the audience. And now Waterglass have returned
with a 3-track single, "Departure," finally capturing the band on
CD. "Departure" is quintessential Waterglass, the breathy voice
of Lucinda deceptively masking the sheer power and energy of the
instrumentation. The middle track "My Lover's Eyes" is a stunning
piece, slow and minimal, actually reminding me a little of Kirsty
MacColl, as it has a very Irish folk feel to it. "Longshore Drift"
is by far my favorite track here, though. Gentle rhythms, Pete's
fantastic guitar-work, and Lucinda's bitter vocals: "You diverted
me, but only for a week or two. I never really wanted you. I hope
it's understood." As Aiden's bass takes the lead, all crescendos
into a final closed-heart and open-eyed sense of loss: "Floating
on the tidal shift, I see you from the longshore drift away." This
is Waterglass at their finest.' (Rosario Rizzo, DarkLife Issue 4 Winter 2000.) 'There are some people who seem to go through their lives feeling nothing. I am not one of them. And I would rather have the extremes of sadness, if it means I have the extremes of joy too, writes Stuart Moses. Waterglass are a band for people who feel. Their latest ep features three songs and each has its individual mood and set of emotions. The title track "Departure" builds to a climax and carries you along on the tide. Primarily about the fall out following a relationship that has failed, the key line, "this is how it ends" hints at a larger picture. Though the subject matter is hardly uplifting, "who'd have guessed that last week's news/was this week's running joke," I canšt help but be exhilarated. If this is how it ends, you could not wish for a better soundtrack. Although Waterglass have been compared to All About Eve, the main thing that they have in common is that they have excellent female singers. The final "Long Shore Drift" completes the ep with an enigmatic story about a brief love, lost. ' (Stuart Moses, South London Guardian, 4th May 2000.) 'Found' 'Remember when
you could pick up an album (yes, vinyl!) on the 4ad label and just
know that you'd like it because it was on 4ad? I reference Cocteau
Twins, Dead Can Dance, Wolfgang Press, and a plethora of other bands
on 4ad during the early formative years of the label's existence.
Well, England's Waterglass is a band that would have fit in fine
on the label and while they are similar to some of the recent projects
out on the 'projekt' label, they are far superior. Never too folksy
and never too ethereal, this band opens doors in your mind that
I've only experienced with bands like Cocteau Twins (the early stuff
mind you). Dark progressions and styles over lush female vocals
lead you to believe that this band is more gothic than they let
on. Be sure to check them out and I think you'll be as impressed
as I've been. They'll be everywhere soon.' 'It's no secret
to my friends that in my mind this is quite possibly one of the
most impressive bands I have come across in years. Nor am I the
only one who thinks that way. Nonetheless, Waterglass is perhaps
the UK's best kept secret. (Read: they're not signed.). When I first
went to see Waterglass a couple of months ago at Doctor Joy's suggestion,
I was clueless about the band. Throughout their performance and
after the show, only one solitary word was going through my head:
"wow". There is so much to say about this band, but I'll begin with
my favorite aspect, Lucinda, the vocalist. She possesses a voice
and style which really shouldn't be compared to anyone, but perhaps
lies somewhere between Harriet Wheeler of the Sundays and Alison
Shaw of the Cranes, if you can imagine crossing the two. Breathy
and angelic, Lucinda's amazingly controlled voice will call to you,
transfix you, and leave you to melt. But the words... they are as
important as the voice. These songs are poetic and dramatic soliloquies,
rambling, yet coherent and tightly weaved thoughts and realizations.
"...As I slip away, here are all the things I could never say. Tears
on my cheek that you kissed away. I'm not crying for yesterday or
the day before. I just wish that I could have told you more. Time
isn't something that we can keep. It slips through my fingers. It
makes me weep when I think about all those wasted hours when I shut
you out. And I ask as the evening draws in the shade, wonder why
as the daylight fades like a passing ghost, why we always hurt those
we love the most...." (Where the Rivers End"). Musically, Waterglass'
songs are on the slowish side, very melodic and moving. Depressingly
beautiful. Gentle and airy keyboards, the occasional horn, true
drums and percussion (thank you!), bass, and the phenomonal guitar
work of Pete. Yet this band can really break free when they want
to, as they do on "Sleep (Song of Oberon)," my favorite track and
the song that best demonstrates Pete's abilities. Waterglass will
go down well in goth clubs where the DJ can get away with more ethereal
and slower songs, but "Sleep" is the perfect track to throw into
a very dancy club, softening things out for a few minutes before
it erupts. I haven't a negative thing to say about Waterglass or
this recording. Although Found is a self-released cassette, it is
professionally recorded and is as clear as it can be. You can order
it from the band or get it at a gig. Buy this tape. Go see this
band.' 'Initial thoughts
of "Cranberries go Goth" quickly fade, as I became increasingly
impressed by a well-developed style combined from a band of individually
talented musicians. A largely acoustic guitar, bass and drum fundamental
sound, with subtle keyboard support, backs Lucinda's vocals that
are strong and atmospheric but never brash. Angel Heart and Sleep
employ a wobbly guitar sound, (that for some reason conjures strange
mental images of some 60's films), is highly effective. If you give
it a chance it will, slowly and gently, draw you in..' 'Four track
demo. Tape sent in by the guys in Surrey, UK. We kick off with EXEUNT,
quite EDIE BRICKELL ish with a dash of THE CRANES. To follow there's
ANGEL HEART, more of the same with an ALL ABOUT EVE flavour - very
emotive stuff. Excellent late night music. The female vox blend
in very well with the sounds. SLEEP (Song of Oberon) is next, mixing
THE CREATURES and CHRIS ISAAK somehow to end up sounding not a little
like HUGE BABY, especially when it speeds up. Strains of GARBAGE
are also detectable. And to finish with is the track WHERE THE RIVERS
END, more EDIE and JULIANNE; quite a beautiful epic-standard offering,
very uplifting actually. Give it a go.' 'I'm told that
this is a 'real' tape release, available to anyone who sends in
the necessary quids, but the item I have is an, er, 'economy' version
without an inlay card, so I'm a little short on details such as
names of band members, etc. All I can tell you on this score is
that Nadia is involved. So let's do that ol' 'let the music do the
talking' thing, shall we? First track 'Exeunt' (no sniggering at
the back, it's not a rude word) features some Banshees-esque guitar
and vocals which tiptoe into Liz Fraser's territory. Dreamy, but,
because it's driven along by a real rhythm section, and a lead guitar
which slides into the mix and builds and builds, it's quite punchy
too. That, in a nutshell, seems to be the overall style here. Dreamy
and forceful by turns: and sometimes at the same time.... 'Angel
Heart' is constructed around a soft-shoe-shuffle on the drums -
the sort of thing that you simply can't do with a drum machine,
and in itself an argument for The Return Of Real Drummers - and
some warm, sensurround instrumentation. A high-tog quilt of a song....
'Sleep' starts off like a ballad from the love scene of a 50's teen
movie....twangly guitar and wistful vocals... then, just to surprise
us, it suddenly gets VERY LOUD and goes all punk rock. This must
be the chase scene: a Corvette and a T-Bird battling it out on Dead
Man's Curve....I'm sure this isn't what Waterglass intended the
listener to get from this song at all, but I'm afraid I have a very,
uh, cinematic imagination! 'Where the Rivers End' is the big production
number, or at least as big as you can get on a demo tape. The vocals
are wistful and gritty by turns, and the music ranges from delicate
precision to crashing chords. Can't help feeling this would have
been a great track for the Waterboys to have done during their 'Whole
of the Moon' period. Overall, Waterglass sound like a 'real' band.
They've got groove and dynamics, they know about all that stuff
like tension and resolution - and, believe me, I get so many tapes
sent in which basically comprise a couple of blokes in a bedroom,
with some crashingly obvious influences, but without the slightest
spark of real creativity, that when I receive quality stuff like
this I feel like weeping for joy.'
Tonight, Waterglass
appear before us in 'Unhinged' form. This translates into a three-piece
line-up (with only Aidan, Andrew, and Victoria on stage), drastically
re-arranged songs, and lots of instrument-swapping. Straight off
this provides a neat contrast with The Order Of Azrael: ringing
the changes like this is something a band can do only if they know
their songs inside out and they're entirely at home in front of
an audience. It also underlines the point that Waterglass are that
rare thing - a totally live band. No backing tracks here! If Waterglass
want to play their songs cocktail jazz style, or launch into ramalama
punk frenzies, then they'll do exactly that. But this isn't just
an opportunity to mess about with new arrangements: the band have
obviously planned this set as a bespoke performance. Victoria is
dressed up like Holly Golightly in diamante and a little black dress.
She swigs from a bottle of champagne and swoons about the stage
like it's 5am on Fifth Avenue, and she's just stumbled out of a
cocktail bar. The set comprises familiar songs from the band's usual
repertoire, all presentedin re-arranged form, plus the new song
'Come As You Were'. 'Past tense! There's a subtle difference!' says
Victoria sternly, as if daring us to think that Waterglass might
be doing something as ordinary as a Nirvana cover. There are occasional
outbreaks of amiable bickering between the band members, and quips
and asides are batted back and forth between the band and audience.
'Even a bassist can play the drums!' remarks Aidan, as he gets behind
the kit. But although there's an air of knockabout good humour surrounding
the performance, the songs themselves still pack an emotional punch.
In particular, the bleak, stripped-down version of 'Fading Fast'
is worth the price of admission by itself. This song isn't exactly
a laugh-riot to start with, but here it's arranged as a wonderfully
minimal pre-dawn lament: the cocktail bar is closing, the chairs
are on the tables, and Holly Golightly has one more song to go before
she has to face the day. It's a performance that oozes real emotion,
so different from the recorded version I catch myself wishing I'd
come wired for sound, so I could take a bootleg home with me. But
that's Waterglass: a band who can turn in stuff that's so stop-you-in-your-tracks
*good* that you spend the rest of the evening in a daze, aware that
you've been in the presence of something genuinely special... "Waterglass
were reduced to a trio for this show, performing a special 'unhinged'
set, and one could be forgiven for wondering just what they had
in store for us. It opened on an ethereal note with My Lovers Eyes,
just guitar and vocals, and singer Vic's voice was quite breathtaking
- I clearly wasn't the only member of the audience who was mesmerised.
Not all the set worked quite so well, with the addition of drums
dominating the sound on a few songs and the vocal levels were sometimes
cranked up to a distorting level, losing some of the passion in
the mix. But there was still a definite emotion throughout the performance,
as well as an impressive range of styles - all the way from a light-hearted
'jazz interlude' version of Sympathy to the bleak but captivating
rendition of Fading Fast that closed the set. Hopefully this won't
be the only time they play this sort of minimalist show - it's wonderfully
atmospheric, and it suits them." The Mercat, July 2001 ' Unless I've
missed something, so far nobody's commented on this gig, so herewith
some rambling.... Dystopia Festival, September 2000 'Then came Waterglass.
An odd, etheral-goth sounding nothing like I've ever heard before.
Still, I enjoyed them quite a bit. The mixing was a bit off, and
the singer's vocals got drowned into the general wash of the music,
which was such a shame, as we couldn't really hear her. Both Passion
Play and The Horatii later complained about the mix and tried to
rectify things. Waterglass had an unusual mix of sounds, including
some jazz keyboard, drumming effects, and a wonderfully resonant
guitar sound. Plus they looked fantastic, especially the bass player/backing
vocalist, in a white shirt, waistcoat, and top hat. Photos coming
soon. ' 'So imagine
my surprise when Waterglass, in spite of the irksome top hat, are
downright excellent. A five-piece band with, as far as I know, everything
being played live. There's some really atmospheric keyboard- playing
going on and a drummer who not only bashes drums but also triggers
samples from pads, which is a nice thing to see. Unexpectedly, the
band carry themselves with a rare grace, style and elegance, just
like what their name would suggest. It's quite mellow, often fairly
dark, but always very lovely "Goth" (!) music for want of a better
word, with impressive female vocals - not quite upbeat enough to
be deemed as "Goth Rock" but nor is it anywhere near the "ethereal
bollocks" (tm) side of the spectrum, IMHO. It's all a bit strange
really, as they don't move an awful lot on stage but it works -
it's very appropriate and the measured way all five of them perform
indicates that some thought has gone into their appearance, rather
than just falling into the "we're bored and standing still" trap.
Also the bassist actually plays bass like he really wants to play
bass instead of just choosing it because someone else was already
playing the guitar. He also provides occasional 'gruff' backing
vocals to the main vocalist's soothing tones, which work as a very
effective contrast. I'm not sure how long they played for as I kind
of got lost in it for awhile there. Some of this may admittedly
be down to lack of sleep but there's no doubt that they played a
very well-written, melodic set, the likes of which one can get lost
in. I can't remember all the song titles but the first two, "Sanctuary"
(or "Sanctity"? Damn my memory!) and "Departure" were particularly
impressive as was their latest song, which was called something
like "Star of the Sea" and was kind of all nice and folky in the
verses.' The Underworld,
May 1999 '....Very Cocteau
Twins/early 4AD band" is the overriding thought I carried away with
me. In fact, a late arriving friend (and big Cocteaus fan I might
add) came in when Waterglass were on and thought the DJ was playing
the Cocteau Twins! The female vocalist was very good the the songs
were strong. I'd never heard them before and yet each song (that
I did pay attention to!) kept you interested - avoiding the "it
all sounds the same" problem you have with bands you've never heard
before. I'll certainly make the effort to see Waterglass again....'
'Waterglass,
as a gentleman remarked in the toilets after their set, were 'Fuckin'
class!' They can come over all swoony and dreamy, and the next minute
they've hit the loud pedal and gone all gritty and straight-between-the-eyes.
And they know how to write 'songs', with things like hooks and choruses
and all that 'craftsmanship' stuff we're supposed to be too cool
to bother about these days. I suspect it won't be long now before
Waterglass are 'discovered' - when that happens, watch them rise
and rise....."' All reviews reproduced by kind permission of authors/publishers.
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