Glimmermen: I'm Dead

This Dublin three-piece don’t care a whit for trends or fashions. Formed from the ashes of Boxes, Holy Ghost Fathers and Jackbeast, and named after the dreaded gas inspectors of the 1940s, they trade in a kind of pared back rock ‘n’ roll that’s refreshingly free of artifice. It’s built on the solid foundations of Phil Murray’s tub-thumping drums, J Bassetti’s throbbing upright bass and frontman Gavin Cowley’s world-weary rasp and fuzzy guitar.
Recorded in Baltimore, Maryland, with J Robbins from ’90s US rockers, Jawbox behind the production desk, I’m Dead is the sound of three musicians letting rip in a live room. On first listen, you could be forgiven for thinking that something’s missing. That’s more an indication of the way we’ve become conditioned to expect the bells and whistles of post-production than any failing on the part of Glimmermen, who are of the heads-down-see-you-at-the-end school of musicianship: for the most part, it works perfectly.
Look no further than ‘Last Song’, two and a half minutes of near-perfect power pop, or bittersweet lead single, ‘This Town’, as addictive as chocolate heroin. Then there’s the ska-inflected statement of intent that is the title-track and the serrated guitar and brass of ‘There Was A Boy’.
The glue that holds it all together is Cowley’s throaty vocal, reminiscent of the great Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz on tracks like the chug-a-lug ‘Believe Me’, the circumspect ‘Ex=Out’ or the epic ‘Peace At Last’.
That said, the spoken word diatribe of ‘Angels & Devils’ fails to really ignite, while the closing ‘Home’ could maybe have done with a little more instrumentation. These are the exceptions that prove that these Glimmermen, for the most part, shine brightly.

Key Track: 'This Town'