Review Summary: I could never die
My intention is for this to be more of an consummation piece than a review. I really love this band, and when they announced that they were breaking up early this year, I was very saddened, but not surprised. The band had released a plethora of material that remains potent with every listen. Their pinnacle release, Just Married, is one of my all-time favorite albums.
2012’s An Obscure Moon Lighting An Obscure World brought Nate Dionne into the fold. Nate’s guitar and voice helped move and shape the band into what their final “sound” would be. After that EP and a split with Summer Vacation, Glocca Morra remained quiet and didn’t play many shows. This was the case for over a year. It’s for this reason that their disbandment came as no shock to fans.
Shortly after announcing their break-up, Glocca Morra released their eulogy piece; a two song release called “wussy pillow b/w secret drinker”. In many ways, this was the perfect way for them to exit their discography; it’s simple, dark, and intrinsic to what the band has always been about.
Wussy Pillow opens with Nate’s vocals, which is appropriate considering his large presence in the sound of the band as of late. The song is upbeat with a fair amount of frustration in the sound. Zack Schwartz sings “oh Carrie, compare me” in contrast to the name “Casey” that is famously mentioned in the band’s music.
Secret Drinker is possibly Glocca Morra’s darkest song. The instrumentation and vocals have a lamenting quality to them; it’s the band’s final goodbye. But there is a sense of evilness to the track as Zack declares “I was the one who came down from the mountain”. The guitars and bass blend hauntingly and beautifully as Zack delivers one of his best vocal performances yet.
One thing that leaves more to be desired is the lack of JP vocals (bassist). His vocal work on Just Married provided catchiness and memorability that would have thrived on these two songs. But as Glocca Morra tends to insinuate, they don’t really care about catering to a large pool of fans. They’ve always done what’s felt right to them.
“I could never die” is the line that closes the song, which leaves the listener feeling as if the band died but somehow cheated death at the same time by making their name immortal and infinite with their uttered final words.
