Glitterati

Artist: The Gunga Din
Label: Jet Set Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 604978002525
EAN: 0604978002525
ASIN: B00004HYG9

Release Date: 2000-02-08

Glitterati

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Brave New World
Mama
Hollywood
Love Has Another Slave
Paradoxia
Let's Play A Game
Under The Sun
Pastel Girl
In The Garden
The Theft
The Repentant Bedfellow

Amazon.com

Ten years ago there were a lot more bands that sounded like this, but far from being a throwback, the Gunga Din represent an elegant distillation of a certain strain of the past two decades of rock history. The band is a sort of minor supergroup drawn from New York underground rock circles; singer Siobhan Duffy misspent her teenage years drumming for God Is My Co-Pilot, guitarist Bill Bronson logged some time as bassist for the Swans, Congo Norvell, and the Spitters, while drummer Jim Sclavunos has played for countless bands, including an early version of Sonic Youth. Bronson's spiky, trebly guitar style evokes Kid Congo Powers and pretty much any band that Powers has played in, from the Gun Club to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, serving as a good reference point for the Gunga Din's sound. Maria Zastrow's Farfisa organ heightens the garage-y noir ambience and the band as a whole plays confidently, like a well-oiled machine spearheaded by Duffy's smoky alto and obliquely poetic lyrics. --Bob Bannister

Customer Reviews:

five stars over brooklyn.......2000-08-03

up until february, i was engaged in a rather typical young and quasihip lifestyle in the apple. occasionally i would wander the streets of brooklyn or manhattan and notice a flyer for this uniquely named band plastered to a telephone pole or chain-link fence, despite the ubiquitous "post no bills" injunction. i had heard rumors of their talent and knew that at least one of them had played with nick cave, never a bad name to have on your musical resume. but i was lax, missed their gigs and moved to memphis. three months later, immersed in my own dixieland melodrama, i caught their show at the young avenue deli. aside from the make-up, they were easily the sexiest band to hit memphis since my arrival. siobhan duffy's mollasses vocals, maria zastrows gender-bending keyboard hijinks and bill bronson's expert melding of guitar genres riveted the ragamuffin crowd. i was in love, at least for the evening. i bought the album (which came with a complimentary love kit) and have not gone over two days without listening to it since. while it is no approximation of their live show, glitterati is undoubtedly a haunting work of musical innovation (if not utter genius). i picture this band huddled in the smokey basement of some east village apartment complex, circa 1980, listening to white light/white heat, horses and some early tom waits bootlegs before jamming all night long. glitterati has its fill of tuneful irony, particularly the songs "mama", "hollywood", and "let's play a game". "brave new world", the opening track, has become a requisite inclusion on recent compilations (its much more satisfying than its literary namesake). while the album is not without flaws (several of the melodies are less than original), it manages to incorporate its low points into a soundscape which is ethereal and rockin. so it's a good album and i highly recommend it. the fifth star is because they are so sexy and gave me a love kit.

Solid, moody album.......2000-04-30

Glitterati is a solid album that is listenable throughout with the exception of the usual annoying hidden outro. Tracks 1-3 are high points but the album as a whole sets a moody tone based on slightly smoky vocals, throwback organ and sparing, yet thoughtful guitar work.

MUST SEE THIS BAND LIVE!.......2000-04-11

I wish everyone could see this band live. Their CDs are nothing at all like their live performances, which is why I am giving this a 4 instead of it's deserving 5. Sibohan Duffy's vocals are beautiful, ethereal, yet raw and smoky, sort of a lounge version of PJ Harvey. Their music is a mish mash of slow, eerie, dreamy, sounds that creep up on you, and peak at a haze of crazy, loud, erotica. The added touch is Maria Zastrows moody,creepy organ. They are fun and melancholic at the same time. Remind me of an evil version of the Doors or the Animals, though really they are nothing like them.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

The Words That Remain ~ Solas

Smooth Grooves ~ Various Artists

Binaurality ~ King %C3%9Cb%C3%BC %C3%96rchestr%C3%BC

Songs from the Night Before ~ David Sanborn

Mobley's Second Message ~ Hank Mobley

The Fado of Coimbra ~ Fernando Machado Soares

Son Cubano: The Rhythm Sticks ~ Canambu

Tataku: Best of II 1994-1999 ~ Kodo

Bortover All Vei ... ~ Tron Steffen Westberg

So Tenho Tempo Pra Ser Feliz ~ Toquinho