A Burn or a Shiver (Compact Disc)

My Fair One

Forever

Starlight

This House

Today Has Wings

Dear Honesty

In Such A State

Angelic In Heart

Minutes For Memories

The River

You Mean The World To Me

A Burn Or A Shiver

When All We Have Is Taken/Comfort

A Fascinating New Sound

Long Island natives Edison Glass blend elements of ’70s progressive rock, ’80s new-wave and alternative pop and ’90s experimental jams and “emo” (emotional) to great effect on their Credential Records debut, A Burn or a Shiver. Musically intricate, melodically evocative and lyrically challenging, Edison Glass may be the most artistically exciting project to emerge yet this year.

Having honed its skills in the clubs and sanctuaries of the New York City area, the band manages the rare feat of crafting songs that are musically complicated and rhythmically varied yet completely accessible. Where traditional emo bands plied repetitively simple or self-indulgently complex patterns, Edison Glass seems always in service to the song at hand. At times reminiscent of The Police and at others in the fully modern alternative realm of Jimmy Eat World or The Promise Ring, Edison Glass manages to contribute something of significance to the seemingly doomed emo train a few years after the genre’s peak. Fortunately for the band, and the listeners, A Burn or a Shiver stretches well beyond the emo rut into an interesting new musical environment.

With production by scene-hero Brad Wood (Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins) and a major label debut that follows seven years on the indie circuit, Edison Glass never comes off as a new band. The sound of countless gigs and rehearsals echoes through each song, and the confidence and sense of self that can only come from experience are evident in everything from the bold lyrical approach to the diverse musical palette. Where classic emo bands were often known for lyrical obscurity or painfully self-focused navel gazing, Edison Glass manages to ask some of the most difficult questions of life within the context of a firmly articulated faith in Christ. Sensitive, inquisitive and, at times, plain worshipful, this is a band that sounds like it would be as comfortable on a bar stage as in a church sanctuary.

Brothers Mountain and Joe Morin provide more than just the typical bass/drum backbone. Mountain adds full-voice vocal harmonies and countermelodies to his lowend duties while Joe experiments with piano, bells and various percussion elements. Vocalist and guitarist Joshua Silverberg applies his one obsession with songwriting and his dual college degrees in musical composition and music technology as he cranks through his blistering guitar parts and barely on the tracks’ vocals. Guitarist James Usher is similarly unafraid to push limits and, occasionally, even shred a bit. The overall chemical balance of Edison Glass’ sound is tight, well-conceived and engaging.

While emo has certainly left the building, Edison Glass manages to capture the appealing elements of the genre and cross-pollinate them with classic rock elements to create a fascinating new sound.

JOHN J. THOMPSON

Review Provided by CCMmagazine.com

“I am floored by the energy that Edison Glass puts out- manic drums and bass, two singers in full voice. They love what they do and it shows. It was a thrill to try and catch it all on record!”
- Brad Wood, producer
(Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate, Fire Theft, Liz Phair)

“Edison Glass create focused yet uninhibited rock music… With their strong melodic sense and affecting lyrics, Edison Glass is poised to storm the masses, a burn and a shiver at a time.”
- Performing Songwriter

“…just float along on the album's ever-changing currents, from the soaring "My Fair One" to the grandiose "This House." Several songs sound like hits … is there such a thing as emo-jazz? There is now.”
- NY Newsday

“Audible therapy… From start to finish, this album is a classical epic stuffed with an endless smorgasbord of influences including The Police, At The Drive-In, and even a little Mozart.”
- ZERO Magazine

“The guitars shimmer and provide the pulse; the work of Usher and Silverberg echoes in the mind long after the songs are through.”
- Good Times Magazine (Long Island)

“Insane vocal acrobatics and wonderfully technical guitarring.”
- EmotionalPunk.com

“With top notch musicianship, up-to-the-second relevance and an overarching spirituality that borders on the sublime, Edison Glass is one of the truly original and, yet, classic sounding bands you can’t believe you’ve never heard before.”
- CCM Magazine

“Delivering caffeinated guitar licks, bass riffs, and drum patterns with timepiece precision, their instrumental chops recall a modern day Rush or Yes ("Such a State"), the arrangements echoing the intricacies of The Police ("Forever") or The Mars Volta.”
- ChristianMusicToday.com

“They clearly draw their sound from that 80's bravado that The Police displayed, while pushing the envelope of progressive rock.”
- DecoyMusic.com

“ambitious and unhinged … there's an energy that's constantly coming through.”
- wrankmusic.com

One of the most musically adventurous new artists to debut in 2006 is a Long Island-based alternative quartet dubbed Edison Glass. The band’s truly unique sound blends elements of indie rock, classic alternative strains of The Police and The Jam, quirky new wave bits and an overall attitude towards composition that recalls the better moments of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s. With top notch musicianship, up-to-the-second relevance and an overarching spirituality that borders on the sublime, Edison Glass is one of the truly original and, yet, classic sounding bands you can’t believe you’ve never heard before.

Their debut album, A Burn or a Shiver, features world-class production by a true indie-rock legend. Brad Wood (Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins, Pete Yorn) couches the jams, the wails, the plaintive melodies and the insanely intricate rhythms in an extremely enticing package. Never indulgent, but always interesting, Edison Glass ought to generate serious interest in the indie circuit far outside of the Christian community.

Sparrow A&R rep Chris York is absolutely beside himself over the way the band has developed. “Musically,” York begins, “I’ve never heard anyone that’s doing what they are doing. There’s emotion, spirituality and a worshipful heart to their music. Aside from being very artistic and energetic and intense, there is a lot of heart behind it. I never get sick of it. I listen to the record over and over.”

With a background that includes extensive musical training at the university level, years of club gigs and loads of experience leading worship in church, Edison Glass defies easy categorization. Even while playing the darkest bar, the band somehow creates a worshipful environment. “They’re coming together as great musicians who love the spirit of worship,” York adds. “But they are a rock & roll band, and they mostly play clubs. They bring a rad spirit into those places!”

John J. Thompson

Article Provided by CCMmagazine.com