SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARGARET GLASPY – BORN YESTERDAY

Margaret Glaspy
Born Yesterday
ATO Records

Inevitably, one of the most commonly accessible methods for reviewing an artist is by comparing them to another artist to whom they sound similar.  This is not a method that works when reviewing Margaret Glaspy, mostly because she sounds like so many different artists depending on the song or even the moment in a song. This is again true for Glaspy’s recent (and unexpected) EP entitled Born Yesterday. On “Before We Were Together”, the first song on the three-song EP, Glaspy sounds like the cooler older sister of a young and country-cool Taylor Swift; one song, 4 minutes later, Glaspy sounds like the love child of Chrissie Hynde and Tom Petty channelling all her angst and frustration into “One Heart and Two Arms” before finally succumbing to tenderness with “Love You, Goodnight”.

Though it is Glaspy’s vocals that have so far dominated this review, it is her guitar work that dominated this EP.  Distinctly blues-inspired, Glaspy’s guitar is a dirty, jarring, dischordant, blessedly chaotic beast, her creative decision-making seemingly driven by the tried and true rock n’ roll practice of purposely playing chords that do not match seamlessly with the overall melody. The result, as indicated above, is awesome and as much as her delivery conveys a point, it is her guitar, fuzzed out and jarring to the ear, that holds the attention.

Though there is not a lot to work with, seeing as there are only three songs, there is enough to leave the listener wanting more and with the firm belief that Margaret Glaspy’s sophomore studio release will be something to get excited about.

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