Undiscovered Brilliance
Paul Brazelton | St. Paul, MN USA | 11/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most HOLS fans are resigned to the fact that House will never achieve the fandom and greatness that it truly deserves. This is a mixed blessing for our ranks; on one hand we get to see their killer shows at cozy venues and talk to them after the concert, on the other hand, it's maddening knowing about something so great and not being able to share it with the world.As an album, Glass Cockpit more or less defines the range and intensity of HOLS. From the frantic and loud headbanger 'Fingernail' to the sweet, childlike vocals of 'Homemade Zodiac', this album is moving and just flat-out impressive. It's production value is the best of all of their albums, including the new self-titled release, and is an excellent starter to the trio.If you're into good guitar, kicking bass and catchy (and seemingly) nonsensical lyrics, this is your band. I may be resigned to the fact that HOLS will forever remain 'undiscovered', but for those happy few that know them, this is the Great Work. Check it out, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed."
Another Rah-Rah Review
Paul Brazelton | 08/11/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I hate to find a bunch of fan reviews of a CD that are 5 star reviews, but I can't give HOLS a four for this effort. Glass Cockpit is my first HOLS CD bought after they blew me away live at a show last year. Its also one of the few CD's I've found which captures most of the energy of a group's live show.The songs are catchy and the vocals are great. Dave and Barb are the best male/female duo since Black Francis and Kim Deal sang for The Pixies.I like the CD a lot because there are so many good songs. What makes it even better is the variety among the songs. HOLS definitely doesn't take the cookie cutter approach to making music. There's a lot of different stuff packed into the CD and nothing seems out of place.High points on the CD for me are: "Carpool Lung", "Two-Tone Moon", "I'll Find It" and "Lazy"."