The music on this album is a combination of two things. Aggressive modern hardcore, a genre I don't really like, and dreamy 10am Rage-type alt rock, another genre I don't really like. But put together... I actually quite like the result. I don't like every moment but for the most part I really like what's being done here. Maybe they just play the style exceptionally well, or maybe I'm just becoming more open minded. It's probably both.
The different styles compliment each other well. The hardcore elements give the alt rock more of an edge, preventing it from becoming too mellowed out and becoming a snoozefest. The alt rock elements make the hardcore feel more nuanced, it's hard to look like a meathead when the tough stuff is accented by soft stuff. Sometimes the combination reminds me of Starflyer 59's harder moments.
Moving on from and ignoring the genre combination, does Glow On do anything else new or interesting? From what I can tell, no, not really. But that's okay. When pioneering a new style of music its better to stay on the basic side of things. Being too ambitious this early on usually leads to the music sounding disjointed and incoherent. Keeping things straight and giving a clear foundation gives future bands an idea of what to expand upon and what to drop, with a lot less failure resulting from their experiments.
That being said, I quite enjoyed this foundation and can't wait to see Turnstile and other bands improve on it in the future!
By: Meatlejuice