Reviewsic [ri-vyoo-zik] -noun: Music worth talking about

A gem of individuality among the Chicago music scene this 7-piece band formed in 2007 and has been putting smiles on the faces of Cook County ever since.
A recent release Super-tactical Turbo Ultrascope Demo is five songs of catchy choruses, boppy instruments, and slightly nonsensical lyrics. With a taste much in the same vein as The Flaming Lips and Boy Least Likely Too, Glittermouse has a its own distinct sound. Front man Michael Koester is accompanied by the lovely vocals of Emily Sorlie and Shauna Eng, which just prove that mix gender vocals should be used more often.

Songs like “Wake Up and Dream” and “Cary on Cadillac” are full of upbeat lyrics sending a very Mr. Rogers-esque message that ‘You are special’ and we can do something with ourselves- with just a hint of saltiness. (Change your mind/Change your life/Change the world and do it all before you die) From the every day man to that guy running around catching butterflies (Listen to Red Balloons) we matter.

Musically Glittermouse has some extreme genius hidden beneath their marshmallow-y exterior. Not a single song on this demo sounds like the other, each with its own defining characteristic, just like the members of this big band. “Touched” is slow and sweet, with haunting vocals from Koester, “Wake Up and Dream” opens with an alarm clock and a sound of command, while “Eyeballs” can best be described by its whilry guitars and cymbal dominated drums.

Glitermouse is a natural crowd pleaser, full of gimmicks and a hodge podge of personalities on its stage. Balloons, bubbles, taking advantage of “oh la la’s” and clap challenges are a big part of this band, something that will catch the attention of any passerby. The early days of Glittermouse included painting from Ben Ward, which would start with the opening song and with the finished piece be auctioned off at the merch table after the show, as well as musically synched video gaming and slideshows from Jake Hillis- both things that some Glittermouse fans might have been missing at recent shows. New gimmicks include instructional videos for performing the ever elusive “Red Balloons” clap, balloon etiquette, and a very special Glittermouse infomerical. The demo itself, while available for download online, also comes in a variety of unique covers as a physical copy, all hand made by Glittermouse.

With all these great attributes one might ask “Can Glittermouse do wrong?” And that answer to that question is: yes and no. Musically, there is great potential and promise between these Chicago twenty-somethings. However, when big personalities come together, people are bound to bump heads. Normally a little tension under the surface isn’t anything to mark a group down for, but in recent months there has been a tendency for apparent cattiness on stage, and bawdy remarks during shows. But look at it this way: Glittermouse is a essentially a family of 7 kids living under one roof, so there’s bound to be a little bratiness, right? Call it sibling rivalry.
All in all Glittermouse is a band that, while maybe a little slow coming, is working toward something big, and has the full potential to reach it.

Tags: Album Review, Local Music

This entry was posted on February 14, 2009 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Music, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.