Guy Grogan
Glitter in the Gears
(self-released)

Opening with a slicing punk slap verse and harmony-chorused vocal of “Anatomy of a Crush,” we are well on our way with Guy Grogan’s latest, Glitter in the Gears. An even heavier, overdriven (I love the bass here!) “Myself Away” rolls into a chunky, roiling, sparse verse feral read featuring the nasal twang of Grogan. “Aelegy” slows the proceedings down with Grogan trying his best at ballad singing over slowly strummed electric and snare brush swishing. I’m not sure if his odd vocal delivery is suited for this, but as he is mining an obvious Elvis Costello vibe, I give him an “A” for effort. I like the poppiness of the jumpy “Head Start to Light” relying as it does on acoustic guitar and paper-snappy snare to pogo stick us along during Grogan mumbling the verses. When we get to the more rockin’ bridge into the loud, multi-voiced chorus things open up brash and really to the most singable tune here. The piano pluck and loose guitar strum of “Where All the Hearts Go” really pulls at the heart strings as Grogan tries once again at the slower stuff. This kind of Radiohead read works better as a ballad than “Aelegy” did; the falsetto almost actually working here. “Before We’re Gone” ends. Opening as it does with feedback into a quick strumming electric, we are off to the races at the end of this album as we were at the beginning. Grogan manages for wailing vocalizing here especially. This one-man-band from Santa Fe is a singer-songwriter with lots to say about loss and yearning and he does so well on the ten tunes of Glitter in the Gears.