Beth Thornley – My Glass Eye / 2006 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.beththornley.com / Reviewed 26 May 2006

The style of vocals that Thornley starts off eir “My Glass Eye” is different from the plain, unadorned pop that one would expect from the album’s cover. In a sense, there is a country influence that is present through the disc’s first track “Stand”. The chorus is catchy in the sense that They Might Be Giants and Matthew Sweet were back in the early nineties; the simple melody will bounce through listeners’ heads for a long time after the disc has ground to a halt. The much more muted sound of “Beautiful Lie” kicks into something that is as bouncy as “Stand” just a few seconds after the track. The track is interesting as it seems to revolve around a very open type of sound; the style is just something that has not been heard often in popular music. “Mr. Lovely” is a track that again changes the assumptions that individuals work under when they put on “My Glass Eye”.

The bass line becomes very audible during the track as Thornley approaches the song with an alternative-funk blend that would make the Breeders blush. This track rocks pretty hard for something that is essentially a pop track; the presence of this song during “My Glass Eye” shows that Thornley is not a one-trick pony. The fact that that style of song can be immediately followed by a somber, morose piano-led track shows that Thornley is eclectic, to say the least. This eclecticism puts eir beyond such bland artists as Zicari; Thornley may just be the next big pop thing, should the right individuals get a hold of this disc. The retro sound of “You’re Right Where”, pushing on the styles present in the fifties and early sixties, shows that Thornley is not only eclectic in terms of styles but in regards to the eras in which ey can work. Most of the pop albums that come out in the current era are vehicles that push a few specific tracks to prominence, bookending them with a number of forgettable tracks. Thornley’s “My Glass Eye” is full of radio-friendly and innovative tracks, and should be what individuals look toward in their creation of pop albums for the future. “My Glass Eye” is a full pop album, and something that will undoubtedly be imitated but never duplicated. Individuals may not know of Thornley now, but they will know of eir here soon.

Top Tracks: You’re Right Where, Stand

Rating: 7.1/10

[JMcQ]