The Glitch Mob – Love Death Immortality (Album Review)

Posted by Middy on February 21, 2014

Innovative electronic duo, The Glitch Mob have released their sophomore artist album “Love Death Immortality”. Following up their 2010 effort, “Drink The Sea”, Ed Ma “edIT”, Joshua Mayer “Ooah” and Justin Boreta “Boreta”, reinforce their standing within their own unique, niche electronic space that they have helped carve and have steadily grown with each passing release and show. The album shot all the way up to number two on the iTunes overall album charts, showing not only the dedication of their incredibly passionate fan base, but also the mass appeal that their sound has garnered despite it not being mainstream or commercial in anyway.

An entire year’s worth of time was spent making the album as the trio reverted back to the old school way of music making, sort of. After two years of constant touring, the trio who have always been in tune with nature, went out to the famed Joshua Tree and rented a house for a year to concoct the material that would eventually become the 10 songs on “Love Death Immortality”. The classic model of making an album for months and then going on long tours to support is almost nonexistent in the dance space, but The Glitch Mob were able to work it to their advantage, and not go broke.

“Mind Of A Beast” gives the impression of an ode to the classic Glitch Mob sound that is found throughout the album, but artist evolution is seen as well and this is not just a “Drink The Sea” 2.0. It is the perfect opener, giving people a taste of what they know, before showing them the new wrinkles and stylistic diversity that is to come on the rest of the album.

They capture the wild spirit “We are the wild ones” (Skullclub) of not only themselves, but also the environment they crafted this album and their fans who have climbed Mt. Everest and traveled to the South Pole, among other impressive feats. The album is grounded in the glitchy, head-banging electro we love from them, with plenty of their signature synth lead piercing through the mix. However their sophomore debut shows the maturity of artists who are not going to rely on the same formula in the vain hope of a second big win, but rather a battle tested group who have been on the road all over the world and know just what they needed for this album.

Logically, The Glitch Mob may not be the most conducive to soft, ethereal vocals, but the album shows remarkable symmetry, featuring 5 vocal songs on every even numbered track that all manage to mesh with what Glitch Mob forges. The vocals inject another element to the equation that is a welcome addition to the artistic lexicon that The Glitch Mob can present. In between the beautiful conclusion of the album, the trio unleash a relentless onslaught of tracks like “Can’t Kill Us” and “Carry The Sun”, created with the energy of the live performance. The finale “Beauty Of The Hidden Heart”, stands out as the most downtempo and melodic piece on the album, emphasizing the vocals from Sister Crayon, crafted as perhaps a look to the future, as they try and create something timeless, immortal.

The Glitch Mob do not fall into the notorious “sophomore slump” that plagues so many initially successful artists. It could be that each of them have a wealth of pre-Glitch Mob experience to draw on, but the combined creative forces at work have managed to take the unique Glitch Mob sound and improve on it. The dance music space has been largely devoid of albums so far this year, but by the looks of it, The Glitch Mob have got themselves an early contender for album of the year.

The trio will be hitting the road this spring with a whole new live setup, and ready to rock venues from Coachella to Gov Ball to cities in Europe like Vienna, London and Toulouse. All the dates are below.

3/11 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
3/12 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
3/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
3/15 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
3/17 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
3/18 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music
3/19 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
3/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
3/21-3/22 – New Orleans, LA @ Buku Festival
3/24 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
3/25 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
3/28-3/30 – Miami, FL @ Ultra Music Festival
4/11 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/18 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/25 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
4/26 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
4/28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
4/29 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
5/1 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
5/2 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
5/3 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
5/4 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
5/6 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
5/7 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
5/9 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
5/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
5/19 – Vienna, Austria @ Augartenbrucke
5/20 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Komplex Club
5/21 – Darmstadt, Germany @ Centralstation Halle EG
5/22 – Hamburg, Germany @ Uebel & Gefarhrlich
5/23 – Berlin, Germany @ Gretchen Club
5/24 – Toulouse, France @ Festival Weekend Des Curiosites
5/26 – Prague, Czech Rep. @ Roxy
5/27 – Brussels, Belgium @ Vaartkapoen
5/28 – Paris, France @ La Machine
5/29 – Nimes, France @ This Is Not A Love Song Festival
5/30 – London, England @ Forum
6/6-6/8 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Festival
6/12-6/15 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/26-6/29 – Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest
More dates TBA