IN A GLASS HOUSE

In a Glass House is the fifth album from Gentle Giant. This was their break through in the United States where the album sold pretty well. It´s hard to hear why this should be the break through though as it is just as complex and challenging as the previous albums. Maybe even a bit more. For me personally this is another masterpiece album from Gentle Giant.

The music is still unmistakably Gentle Giant with the many different influences ranging from hard rock, classical chamber music, jazz, medievil troubadour music, avant garde and this time around funk. I am tempted to say that as usual Gentle Giant pull this of with ease. All sorts of different themes are thrown around and changed and used again. This is a typical feature in Gentle Giant´s music and the one I enjoy the most. I think Gentle Giant´s way of making music is close to classical music compositions with the layers of different musical themes. In a Glass House consist of six songs. Four pretty long ones The Runaway, Way of Life, Experience and In a Glass House and two shorter songs An Inmate's Lullaby and A Reunion.

A Reunion is the only song here which isn´t higly complex. instead it´s a pleasant song in the midst of complex song structures and playing. The other five songs are well structured and highly complex tracks which were up until then the best material written by Gentle Giant IMO. An Inmate´s Lullaby stand out a bit as it is very avant garde, but still beautiful and Way of Life has a funky beat while the remaining three songs are just plain beautiful and challenging. I can´t begin to describe how much I enjoy this album, but you get the picture right ?

The musicianship is astonishing as usual, and as on other Gentle Giant albums both violin and sax is also used here in addition to the more normal rock instrumentation. The xylophone is used more extensively here though than on any previous albums.

The production turned me of the first time I listened to it, because it´s much thinner and not very bass heavy than on their previous album Octopus, but it´s like I´ve grown used to this sound and it gives In a Glass House it´s identity in the Gentle Giant discography.

This is another 5 star album from Gentle Giant, and so far they have not disappointed me. As a newbie to Gentle Giant I have taken their albums from an end and started with the first one and including this album I have only given 5 star ratings as I feel Gentle Giant might be the best prog rock band ever. Every album sounds unmistabably like Gentle Giant while they still develop their style from album to album. Once more I can only regret that I haven´t discovered Gentle Giant earlier. This is highly recommendable to people who like their prog rock to be challenging yet melodic and memorable. MASTERPIECE.