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The Second Glance
Self-Titled
2004, independent
This record is as independent as it gets; no government funding (yay Canada), no label, no nothing but the chutzpah and discipline of the band themselves. And fortunately, unlike so many such projects, this sounds really good (what? I‘m gonna lie and say there aren‘t indie bands out there that sound terrible on record?). Vocalist Joe Brownrigg was a founding member of another local Ottawa band, The Fully Down, who are now making a name for themselves in their own right; Brownrigg left the band a couple years ago to become a police officer - a noble calling if ever there was one - but evidently decided being in a band was too much fun to drop completely. The Second Glance was put together with three other gentlemen, a bunch of shows were played, and it culminated in this self-titled debut. The record retains a bit of older-Fully Down feeling, obviously, but it‘s understandable and not at all a bad thing. ‘Close Your Eyes and See‘ immediately sets the tone with omnipresent harmonies and solid rock and roll; everything is done well on this album, including the production, which the band handled themselves. ‘The Same Old Drill‘, like almost everything else here, has a gold-plated-catchy chorus, that number-one prerequisite to good pop-punk. ‘Three Story Fire‘ brings to mind the almighty Thrice‘s ‘The Artist In The Ambulance‘, with storytelling lyrics and a driving rhythm - and The Second Glance do the hardcore kids a favour and throw in some double bass on ‘Looking Up‘ for good measure. ‘One Day Soon‘ is as close to a perfect three minutes as it gets, stringing together smooth guitars and harmonized vocals - how come Drive Thru or Vagrant Records aren‘t clamouring for this band?? Huh? How is it that friggin‘ Hawthorne Heights have a career and The Second Glance are ignored? Sorry, a tangent. Anyway. Seventh track ‘Feels Good To Be Home‘ injects a little acoustic-guitar tenderness amid the rockattack, as does ballad ‘The World‘s Greatest Show, a dead ringer for earliest-era Dashboard Confessional.
Formulaic but definitely not stale, radio-friendly but definitely not "radio rock", The Second Glance power-pop their way to the top.
- Mike Postma
Copyright ©2005