The Deal: Charlotte band releases full-length disc, We Cracked the Sky; follow-up to 2006 EP.
The Good: I can’t tell you who influences Sugar Glyder‘s indie rock, but as the CD spun, I heard elements of Blind Melon, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Remy Zero and a host of others. The band’s sound is layered and has more depth than the average strumming rock, choosing instead to pepper the atmosphere with singular notes and riffs. The drum-heavy groove of “Spoils of War” probably makes for a nice audience-participation choral send-off at live shows.
The Bad: The 11 tracks clocked in at just more than 40 minutes. I wanted more. The 25 seconds of feedback for “A Splendid Company” could have just been the intro for “Without One” instead of its own track.
The Verdict: Yet another quality band on the Charlotte music scene – they’re everywhere if you get out and look for them. The band mixes it up sonically on the album – the ambient “Mariana, I’m Sinking” almost seems out of place – without straying from “their sound.” Definitely worth a listen.
This article appears in Sep 23-30, 2008.
