Glider (The Sight Below album)

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Glider
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 11, 2008
Recorded2007–2008, Seattle, Washington, United States
GenreAmbient techno, shoegazing
Length49:08
LabelGhostly International
ProducerThe Sight Below
The Sight Below chronology
No Place for Us
(2008)
Glider
(2008)
Murmur
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
The A.V. Club(B)[2]
DOA(very positive)[3]
Foxy Digitalis[4]
Pitchfork Media(6.8/10)[5]
PopMatters[6]
RA[7]
Tiny Mix Tapes[8]

Glider is the first full-length album by American ambient techno musician The Sight Below, released on November 11, 2008 by Ghostly International. It was released worldwide in January 2009 with a bonus track, only available at the label's digital store. The album was recorded live in Seattle during the winter of 2007-2008 and focuses on manipulated electric guitar sounds, equally influenced by shoegazing, ambient techno, and 4AD's early catalog.

According to several interviews, The Sight Below didn't use any synthesizers on Glider.[9] The ambient drones and soundscapes on the album were created by performing with a viola bow or light pick and running guitars through a chain of reverb, delays, and looping effects, with a stronger emphasis on textures and subliminal rhythmic patterns.

The album was very well received by the press and music community, including praise from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, who charted "At First Touch" on his January 6, 2009 "Office Chart" posting on the band's website Dead Air Space.[10]

Glider shares its title with a 1990 My Bloody Valentine EP, an influence on The Sight Below's music.

Glider's desolated artwork imagery was created and designed by graphic artist Michael Cina. The inner sleeve contains a quote from Albert Camus. In an interview with Seattle's The Stranger newspaper, The Sight Below stated being influenced by Camus' work as a teenager.[11]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "At First Touch" – 4:53
  2. "Dour" – 4:54
  3. "Without Motion" – 4:38
  4. "Life's Fading Light" – 5:46
  5. "Further Away" – 6:00
  6. "The Sunset Passage" – 3:49
  7. "Already There" – 5:44
  8. "A Fractured Smile" – 5:09
  9. "Nowhere" – 8:19
  10. "Feeling Lost Forever" (Digital-only bonus track)

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Andy Kellman. "Glider". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  2. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (2008-11-10). "The Sight Below: Glider | Music | Music Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  3. ^ "The Sight Below – Glider/No Place For Us EP : DOA". Adequacy.net. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  4. ^ Paul Simpson (2009-02-12). "The Sight Below "Glider"". Foxy Digitalis. Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  5. ^ Brian Howe (2009-03-05). "The Sight Below: Glider". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  6. ^ Dominic Umile (2008-12-03). "The Sight Below: Glider". PopMatters. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  7. ^ Derek Miller (2008-11-17). "The Sight Below - Glider (Album)". Resident Adviser. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  8. ^ Lukas Suveg. "The Sight Below - Glider". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  9. ^ "// Cuemix Magazine //". // Cuemix Magazine //. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  10. ^ "Office chart for South America - RADIOHEAD | Dead Air Space". Radiohead. 2008-03-10. Archived from the original on 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  11. ^ "High on the Down Low by Dave Segal - Seattle Music - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper". Thestranger.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.

External links[edit]