Drawing inspiration from jazz, pop, classical and rock, My Glass World are a refreshingly hard band to categorise. Yet, sometimes we should put aside genre confinements and just call music what it is, and in the case of that which comprises My Glass World we can sum it up in two words: ‘Simply Stunning’. That’s exactly what their latest album Stranded Assets is. A soothing balm sent to soothe our troubled times, it is a selection of tracks that wrap the listener in a Novocaine® buzz and fills them with the kind of life-affirming feeling that should really be prescribed on the NHS.
Comprising of the talents of vocalist/composer/musician Jamie Telford (who has worked with Paul Weller and Richard Strange) and saxophonist/studio wizard Sean Read (whose CV includes Edwyn Collins and Soulsavers), My Glass World contain undeniable pedigree. Yet, musicians are a funny breed, putting two names together is no sure sign of success; get that mixture right and things will fizz and bubble nicely, get that admixture wrong and things will implode and you’ll be left with a sticky mess on your hands. I’m happy to report that My Glass world fall into the former category, and the equilibrium they’ve attained rests easy upon the ear. However, as so often is the case, My Glass World’s whole comes from two very different sides of the same coin; like a musical yin and yang. Many of these songs were conceived independently and that adds to the ebb and flow of the record, the push and pull between the two musicians as ideas bounce back and forth.
The tone of Stranded Assets is set by the achingly-beautiful opening track ‘Words’. While many bands would be content to come out swinging and with all instruments blazing, ‘Words’ takes a more indirect route. Just as written and spoken text can subliminally affect us, so ‘Words’ insidiously works its way into your psyche, and becoming a part of your very physiology. Full of huge white spaces, ‘Words’ creates the perfect foil for cuts such as ‘You Can Feel It Coming’ which proffer a darker side to the band’s aesthetic. Both Jamie’s voice and Sean’s sorrowful sax combine to create a soundscape that’s akin to a nocturnal stroll through deserted, neon-lit, rain-soaked streets. For their latest album (their fourth together as My Glass World), Jamie and Sean paint their canvas using a wide palette and with no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space, ensures things never become staid over its 51-minute running time.
Stranded Assets finds My Glass World very much afloat and sailing towards a bright future.
- Stranded Assets is released via Luxury Noise Records on 9th May 2025.
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