Music Review: Glassjaw - Our Color Green EP

A decade ago, as the new millenium just opened its doors, At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command fired the main charge that sent post-hardcore exploding into the alternative mainstream for a while -- or at least into MTV2. Among the bands that crossed the resulting breach was Glassjaw -- who then proceeded to go into a long, semi-active hiatus.

Now, after a solid 5 or 6 years -- Who's keeping count? -- of playing isolated shows and festivals, battling illness, working on side-projects (Head Automatica) and chasing personal endeavors (Merch Direct) Glassjaw is back with an all new EP -- well, sort of.

Our Color Green -- Glassjaw's first "proper" release since 2002's full-length Worship and Tribute -- is actually the compiled presentation of a series of 7" singles the band released throughout 2010. The 5 songs that comprise it represent what the band have been up to ever since they started operating once again back in 2005 -- when founding members singer Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck recruited a couple of friends from their back catalogue of bandmates to hold the rhythm section.

The compilation kicks-off in high gear with 'All good junkies go to heaven' -- its newest track --which revolves around an hypnotic guitar riff taken straight out of math-rock tradition and that shows Becks' technical prowess. The song keeps its momentum going throughout the whole of its duration thanks to the rhythm men's no-nonsense arrangement of steady double bass-drum beats and aggressive bass groove -- courtesy of Manny Carrera, who was responsible for this same type of sound in 2000's 'Everything you ever wanted to know about silence.'

Following the EP's strong start -- in what seems to be backwards chronological order -- is 'Jesus Glue.' Showcasing Glassjaw's interest in messing around with sounds from outside its defined genre, the track shines with middle-eastern flavored guitar figures and rhythms while Palumbo brings a versatile vocal performance that ranges from the soul influenced stylings he showed in 'Worship and tribute' to his traditional Mike Patton-esque spazz outs.

After this, things get a bit stale, though. The remaining three cuts -- while not bad in any way -- don't really distance themselves far enough from the material found in the band's previous outings to actually stand out. This is understandable since they're probably quite old, but they still bring what was a great openning to a bit of a rut.

As it's clearly heard in the initial tracks, Glassjaw still has what it takes to put out interesting, galvanizing hard-rock, but mixing it with old material might not have been the best choice to make a strong comeback. Still, if this only represents a warm-up for the rumored release of a new LP this year, the wait might still be worth it.