Welcome to the epicenter of hazy delirium. Though the world of Under and In may seem overwhelmingly dense at first listen, eventually you'll be sucked right in to an experience so gloriously disorienting that you'll feel like you're undergoing radical mutation. It's audio narcotics, and there are few other products advertised as such that are innately intoxicating as this.
You may feel like your CD is skipping when you play the first track, but notice the snaking countermelody and phased-out vocals coming in, you'll start getting into it. I opted to review this for The DeLorean because any Hum enthusiasts who looked up Glifted on Amazon and read the disparaging comments of fellow Hum'sters could easily miss out on something grand and unique. It's only like Hum in the guitars swoop and dive like aural avalanches. Tim Lash's vocals are less intimate and emotionally endearing perhaps, but in many ways, this band trumps Hum's entire catalogue with its spaced-out majesty. I always thought Matt Talbott's lyrics were kind of dumb anyway ("I'm thinking of a number between everything and two"). To me, what was always good about Hum was the sheer grandiosity of their sound. They were their best when surging and powering through a soaring progression like on Downward is Heavenward's opening track.
Glifted's music is more about disorientation. It's music that, more than any other, deserves all of the Loveless comparisons heaped on it. The merry cacophony idealized in that classic album's opening track's wordless chorus is at the heart of what makes Under and In such a winner. And, like Loveless, there are really catchy pop tunes hidden under all the washes. Perhaps a bit more so, since the album's poppier moments arrive in crunchier, Hum-like fashion (particularly on the infectious "Baby's Blue"). So, while it may not stand up to the infallible behemoth of Kevin Shield's innovation and subtle song writing, it comes pretty damn close. The only thing preventing Under and In from being a perfect woozy rock opus might be the lengthy and pointless loop tacked on to the albums end. But don't let that stop you. This is an enticing trip that you definitely don't want to pass up.
1. Is There Any Always
2. The Scare
3. On and On
4. Baby's Blue
5. Heavy Ion
6. Last in Line
7. Every Single Second
8. The Ground
9. Red Lift
10. Dromoscope
