Yesterday Glasser did a piece for stereogum where they talk about how they actually perform the super complex sounds from the album in their live performances. It’s crazy. The entire thing is done with all the instruments as MIDI controllers. Check them out this Friday with Hartford up-and-comers Ghostwaves. It’s going to be nuts.
Glasser is, essentially, the work of Cameron Mesirow. Her Ring LP is a maximalist take on the evocative, tense art pop sketches she wowed us with in GarageBand demo form last year, landed her on our list of Best New Bands this one. For her full-length debut and its widescreen orchestration, Cameron enlisted production and arrangement help from the likes of Ariel Rechtshaid, and Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid (Fever Ray). The record in turn benefits from their execution of her particular vision, but reproducing its dense, brassy pomp and peculiar swagger in a live context presented a challenge. I’ve seen Glasser with Tanlines as backing band, or with a laptop; both interesting, neither ideal. The solution, as True Panther put it: “She worked with the members of her new band, Van Rivers, Jon Leland, and Jason McMahon to create a synthesized way: wherein samples and synths can be run through real guitars and real drums set up as MIDI controllers.”
In this video Glasser the band demonstrate how these instruments have been remapped as MIDI controllers, and then put that MIDI into motion with a pretty beautiful take on “Treasury Of We.” After you’ve watched, you’ll want to know the tour dates. Which is why I’ve included them.