SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOE GLASS – SNAKEWARDS

JOE GLASS
SNAKEWARDS
K RECORDS/PERENNIAL RECORDS

Armed with just a Telecaster, Joe Glass is on a mission to keep rock ‘n’ roll alive, and he succeeds. Based in Chicago, Glass has been firmly established as a touring musician. With Snakewards, his second album (his debut, Slither was released in 2022), Glass has come up with an energetic album, full of guitar based driven power pop songs. And not forgetting rock ‘n’ roll.

In some ways, Glass reminds me of Billy Bragg when he was just starting up. Basically, plug in the guitar and away we go. Like Bragg, Glass is independent and besides a couple of drummers on two different tracks, Glass does everything. He has written, produced, played and created Snakewards. He is a one-man band, and he makes a glorious sound. Although he is a recognized guitarist, his vocals deserve a great deal of credit as well.

These songs are short, sharp, shocks. Glass doesn’t fool around with lengthy guitar solos, but rather he says what he needs to say and he does it efficiently. The songs are usually under three minutes long. Songs such as “Dandelion” are under two minutes in length, and he packs a lot into those two minutes. Some songs, like the incredible “Felicity Crunch” which is a force of nature with explosive grinding guitars and distorted vocals. It works perfectly for the song. With “All About You” he tones it down, picks up the acoustic and has come up with an utterly charming song. The closing song, “Outontouragin” is a brilliant power pop song with a powerful melodic hook. The lyrics are great too.

One gets the sense that you are just hanging with Joe in his rec room, he plugs in his beautiful guitar and just plays for you. Snakewards does have an intimate feel, and it is just full of fun and excitement. While the album is pretty much a guitar driven rocking affair, there is not a whole lot of variety and yet, in a sense, there are many different sounds and styles captured throughout the album. Listening to Snakewards one can hear how Glass is helping in the fight to save rock ‘n’ roll. He has spent a few years putting it together, and thankfully he finished the album. Snakewards is a fun and rocking good time with great songs, expertly played.

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