BY ADAM QUANDT | Arts & Entertainment Editor | The Statesman
Glen’s Neighbor is a band not often heard of in the Twin Ports music scene…yet. The band recently released their debut full-length album, “Behind The Door."
The band features the vocal and guitar work of Blake Shippee, Gary Kalligher on bass, Nate Weiler on banjo and mandolin, Pat Byrne on drums, Chris Bruhn on guitar and Chris Urtel on the dobro.
Though the band often sounds very similar to Trampled By Turtles, I highly recommend you listen to the album in its entirety before writing Glen’s Neighbor off as a “copycat band”. There are many more musical influences to be heard in the undertones of almost every song.
The vocals of the opening track, “Longfellow’s Arrow” remind me of older Dave Matthews Band music. The album quickly takes a “Boot, Scoot and Boogie” turn in the following track, “Bad Habit”.
The fourth track on the album, “Down The Road,” is where it gets difficult for me to pinpoint a genre on Glen’s Neighbor. The track sounds like a mash-up of Trampled By Turtles meets Mumford and Sons meets Dave Matthews Band and maybe a little Flogging Molly in the mix as well.
My only complaint on “Behind The Door” is there are times where I feel the banjo was forced into the songs. I feel on tracks such as “Sailing Bird” and “Ocean Blue” the banjo lines in the background subtracted from the overall sound of the songs.
However, the use of the banjo really adds to tracks such as “Candles” and “Help Me.” There are just times I think the banjo was added simply to add banjo and not for the better of the song.
All in all, “Behind The Door” is a very versatile album that could be enjoyable for music lovers of all genres. The album features the perfect balance of upbeat songs such as “Today” and more relaxed, intimate songs such as “Hard Day Duluth.”
“Behind The Door” is available for purchase at local vendors such as Electric Fetus or for download on iTunes.