The Fretless: Glasswing

I admit it. Me and The Fretless haven’t quite met, and I have honestly tried. And I’m a bit mystified about it…

Let me make this clear: I have nothing but the highest respect for the Canadian modern folk string quartet. They are excellent musicians and they have deserved their nearly iconic reputation and the Juno award (Bird’s Nest won the Instrumental Album of the Year in 2017).

So they are great, no contest. But as I now listened to Glasswing, their new album, I once again felt this… I dunno, distance, maybe?

It’s odd, since there’s nothing actually negative I can say about the music here. The tunes are well written, the playing is immaculate, the arrangements are intricate and, at times, innovative.

If there is one thing that did bother me a bit, it’s the fact that, on Glasswing, there’s neither a fiery “rip it up” tune (although the latter part of Queen Nancy does get quite hoedown-y), nor an achingly melancholy, elegiac piece that would make me reach for some tissue. It’s mostly mid-tempo stuff, very well performed and enjoyable modern folk that I do like – but I can’t really get excited about it.

Maybe seeing them live would change my perspective; I would probably enjoy their music more in a live setting.

So, please, don’t take this as a negative review, OK? Because it’s not. It’s just an example of the well-known phenomenon of “I really should love this but there’s something holding me back”. I’m sure we’ve all been there, and now I am.

So I advice you to check out Glasswing yourself. Also The Fretless as a band, in case you haven’t heard them yet. They have been around for quite some time and are really good, even if, for me, there’s this… distance. Go figure.

https://thefretless.bandcamp.com/album/glasswing