Album Review: Glassjaw - 'Our Color Green (The Singles)'

If the news that Glassjaw are back together and making new music wasn't enough to excite you out of your brain you either haven't heard the band before, or hate music. Outrageous? I don't care. Our first taste of some new tunes comes in the form of an EP, 'Our Color Green (The Singles),' named this because it is a collection of five songs that the band released individually throughout 2010, some in interesting ways, but that is another story...

If the songs tells us one thing, it's that the hiatus the band took did not damage their musical prowess in any way, as these are some of the most musical minded, ferocious tracks the group have ever created. Kicking off with 'All Good Junkies Go To Heaven', vocalist Daryl Palumbo is on top of his game in both lyrical content and melody. The song travels at a constant pace with rough guitar tones and busy riffs, only ever slowing for a room mic'd, live sounding, breakdown in the middle of the song.

Second track 'Jesus Glue', was the first song released of the five, and has a subtle latin style groove in its drum and guitar lines, the song builds to wild screams from Palumbo and its mighty chorus. 'Natural Born Farmer', begins again, with those harsh guitars and catchy vocal lines, and is one of the brighter and, for lack of a better word, “poppier” tracks on the EP, please don't misconstrue this, as this track is still as heavy as the others.

'Stars' starts off as the record's softest number, but ends as one of its heaviest, the wall of sound that Glassjaw are so good at creating hammers in after a short, soft guitar line. Palumbo pushes out aggressive vocals and screams whilst the band dance between thunder and sunshine behind him.

The EP ends with 'You Think You're (John F**king Lennon)', a minute and a half introduction of a simple drum line before an explosion of distorted guitars and screams leaving the record on its most brutal moment.

Sometimes, comebacks disappoint, this one certainly does not and is evidence that Glassjaw's time was never ready to be over, there is plenty of juice left in the tank as these are some of the best tracks the band has ever written and recorded. After listening to 'Our Color Green' it is safe to say that the forthcoming album will be nothing short of brilliant.

1. All Good Junkies Go To Heaven

2. Jesus Glue

3. Natural Born Farmer

4. Stars

5. You Think You're (John F**king Lennon)