New York City is one of those places that will leave you completely in a trance. People sing songs about it, numerous shows are set in the heart of the city, and so many great actors and musicians call New York home.
Glint happens to be one of those that can say they’ve made it straight from the Empire State. This two man band, consisting of main singer/songwriter Jase Blankfort accompanied by Anders Fleming, formed back in 2003. Already having put out two EP’s and two full length albums, they set out to release their third album, Inverter, which dropped on March 11. (Can we take a minute to appreciate that album cover? The 3D effect is great.)
Glint — NYC-Bred Indie Rock
You can say that their sound is best described as alternative rock, a statement aided by the throaty vocals and raw instrumentals. Inverter starts out just as any great album would, with a short intro (aptly titled “Intro”) that features no lyrics but somehow manages to capture your attention before transitioning smoothly into the first full track of the album.
“Daydreamers” starts off quite enchantingly, with a soft sound that you can already tell will break into heavy drumming and a passionate electric guitar number. I must say, I was definitely expecting vocals with more bass, but was pleasantly surprised by a voice that I have to compare to Coldplay’s Chris Martin. This is one track that I can definitely hear played on a popular rock radio station.
(On an interesting side note, less than a minute into this song my boyfriend (who always scrolls through Reddit on his phone, ignoring me while I write my reviews) looked up and said “Hey, I like that song.” Kristy tested, boyfriend approved.)
The third track, “Breathe,” starts off with a more upbeat tempo, and the vocal range that I’m hearing in this one seems to rise and fall at the end of each sentence, which I find to be very pleasant. This one has a lighter rock sound that isn’t as heavy as “Daydreamers” — I could imagine playing Midnight Club 3 to it (if anyone remembers that game, props to you).
The tempo changes at the 2:08 mark and the lyrics start to echo as the song fades into a short instrumental solo. The ending of the track provides a very picturesque fade-out that leads perfectly into the next song.
“Junky” has to be my favorite track from the album. I might be a bit biased because I love slower songs, but this one really stands out to me. The piano number blends perfectly with the beautiful vocals, and the chorus seems to showcase the best of Blankfort’s abilities (he hits those high notes perfectly).
Providing a nice break from the rocking out you’ve done throughout the first five numbers, “Junky” offers a more emotional reprieve. The song changes pace about 2 and a half minutes in, picking up with steady drumming that leads into echoing background vocals, complementing the track perfectly.
“Soldiers In The Dark” might just be the most different song from the whole album, and seems to have a unique vibe that I’ve heard from artists like Silversun Pickups. I can definitely see this one being played in an action movie from the late 1990s. The vocals seem to be a bit more intense in this one than the others, but that could just be because the background music seems to be a bit darker in comparison to the rest of the album.
Glint embodies the rock genre very well with Inverter. They’re the type of group that you’re likely hear on the radio very soon, if you haven’t already.
