In Between Days, Glen Reynolds (Idol Records)
CD Review
6.June.2007

Forget about Chomsky. Forget the mad look in the eyes, the flailing around the stage and the ADD-addled guitar solos that recalled the wilder side of XTC. Glen Reynolds is now a born-again Brit-mope.

The former Chomsky lead guitarist has finally unveiled his years-in-the-making solo debut, but even though his songs were sampled long ago on the Web and local radio show The Adventure Club, it’s still shocking to hear this heart-on-sleeve pop record. And while it may seem unfair to raise comparisons to Reynolds’ musical past, the transition is so stark that he appears to hold back his guitar prowess, almost as if to prove a point.

And to some extent, he does prove himself as a capable songwriter, though he’s certainly allegiant to a niche. Steeped in the inspirational regurgitation of acts like The Smiths, Blur and Oasis, Reynolds takes a trip through tried-and-true Brit-pop territory. This is a major-key affair: Cheerful melodies lift dreary (and often simplistic) lyrics time and time again, like this mopey bit from “We’re So Far Away”: “When I cry tears / they won’t roll down from my cheeks / so I drown, I drown, I drown.”

Memorable melodies certainly kick up, particularly in the start-stop melodrama of “Setting Sun” and the shape-shifting darkness of “Monument,” whose closing cries of “I lo-o-ove only you” are backed by a rare flash of Reynold’s tempered, impressive guitar solo ability. But these 12 songs of lovelorn, mid-tempo remorse don’t improve upon the kind of bleeding-heart appeal that could outdo the overrich melodrama of The Smiths, which leaves the record in an awkward balance between leaving little up to interpretation or challenge...and giving listeners nothing outlandish or truly heartwrenching to grab onto. It's simple but not bold in its simplicity.

To his credit, this guitarist is no vocal slouch. Reynolds’ nasal, higher-register vocals are a perfect--and pleasant--match for lines like, “The echo of my laughter through the cliffs / rising like the sigh upon my lips.” Really, this kind of pleasant, breezy, Starbucks-ready material, full of acoustic guitars, organs and drawn-out cries of love, is indicative of the point Reynolds proves with In Between Days. So forget about Chomsky; from the sound of it, Reynolds certainly has. 

Glen Reynolds celebrates his CD release with an in-store concert at Good Records on Saturday, June 9. You can purchase the CD there, at CD World, on iTunes or through Idol Records' Web site.