Saturday, October 31, 2009

Glide - Last (2000)

Well, here it is, the Last missing piece of the Glide puzzle that some of you have been clamoring for - and for good reason I might add. The songs contained herein were reportedly destined for, or at any rate destined to be perfected for the Sydney quartet's third proper album, succeeding their 1996 sophomore effort, Disappear Here, which I posted a couple years ago, along with their, debut Open Up and Croon, and the ep collection, Shrink Wrapped Real Thing. With the premature 1999 death of Glide's frontman and all around visionary, William Arthur, the third album of which I spoke above was not to be, at least not in it's completed form. Last falls somewhere between a thoughtful consolation prize and a sophisticated nightcap that shows Glide out in a melancholic blaze of glory.

Appropriately, the album commences with an excellent piano ballad, "Baby Now," a piece that in itself is a testament to Arthur's affecting songwriting capabilities that perhaps had yet to peak. For me, the refrain of "You're going to need a bed for two, 'cause you'll never peel me from you," in the chorus of "Bed For Two," is both achingly, yet soothingly representative of his romantic inclinations, and furthermore exacerbates the sobering reality that the man who penned it would deliver no more. The inclusion of four Arthur 4-track home demos are equally as fitting and moving. You can download all of the aforementioned Glide albums here, as well as a fan-compiled b-sides collection.
01. Baby Now
02. I Wonder
03. Show Me
04. Bed for Two
05. Always Fall
06. Spit & Smile
07. You're Welcome
08. Slink
09. Pull in Your Claws

I've decided it wouldn't be too smart to host this album anymore, now that it has been made available on iTunes.  From what I understand some physical copies might be available through Glide's website.  Go here for all the pertinent details and links.  If you're encountering Glide for the first time, check out the handful of tunes they have streaming on their page, or go with the 30 second clips on iTunes linked above! 

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