IN A GLASS HOUSE

In A Glass House is Gentle Giant at their best. On their earlier albums, even on the celebrated Octopus, I felt like there was still an awkwardness present in their music, perhaps due to their extremely complex arrangements. However, on this outing their sound is stripped down to the bare essentials, and I think it's better for it.

I don't mean to imply that this album is simpler or more accessible than their others, to the contrary, this is very challenging music and it took me a great number of listens to feel like I really understood it. There is a nice mix of styles present over the course of the record. An Inmate's Lullaby is a sparse, percussion driven song about a man in mental institution. The creepy/sad lyrics are really great and really make the song. Experience is a rock and roll jam, which lends some more traditional aggression to this otherwise very avant-garde record. A reunion is a medieval sounding snippet, which is very peaceful and gives the listener a chance to rest for a second.

The title track is definitely the highlight, with some of GG's best melodies and ends with a recap collage of all the other songs (Queen would use this exact same trick five years later with More of That Jazz.)

If you're a fan of the more avant-garde side of prog. you will undoubtedly enjoy In a Glass House. To this day, no other band has managed to sound anything like Gentle Giant, which in itself is unique. 4 stars.