You hardly have to be told that Jessye DeSilva and her collaborator and producer, Aaron Lee Tasjan, set out to explore the idea of unabashed joy on this album, I doubt if anyone encountering the opening song, “The Real” could get to the end of its three and a half minutes and remain unaffected by its sense of euphoria and sass. Yes, it’s a big song, one built on pop’s sheer infectiousness and rock’s grandeur, but it goes deeper – this is an anthem of pure celebration, it’s as simple as that.
It’s a great way to kick things off. As someone who identifies as non-binary, slowly embracing the notion of being a trans woman, writing the album in Kentucky, the latest state to enact a ban on drag performance, it was clear that this couldn’t just be another album; this needed to be an act of resistance! And it is, a fist-in-the-air, a line in the sand, and a set of songs that remind us that just being ourselves, and being content, happy, joyous in who we are, is an act of defiance in itself, even more so in these entrenched and unsympathetic, uncaring and wilfully blinkered times.
“Punk Rock Joy” is a nineties-infused, slightly nostalgic foot-on-the-moniter rocker brought up to date for a new era and a new audience, and by contrast, the title track is a slightly moody, totally marvelous, mid-paced ballad, one which is both brooding and beautiful. “Fringe” is country-gospel-groove, infectious and empowering, and “Eldritch” rounds things off with a slice of poised pop draped in ethereal elegance.
On the surface, Glitter Up The Dark is a cool and gentle collection of country-infused tunes, roots music, and serene sonics, with the occassional rock and roll urge being allowed to have its day in the sun. But listen to the lyrics, get into the author’s mindset, and you realize just how subversive, how revolutionary, and how poignant it is. Attitude meets eloquence; this is alternative Americana at its most alternative.
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