OK, so define magic? I was wondering how I would define it as I listened to Religious to Damn’s album “Glass Prayer”. Just one of those things that can’t be adequately defined perhaps? Similarly, I had been left with a distinctly positive impression of this album even if I’m not really sure why.
For a band from New York, they don’t even particularly sound like they are from that part of the world. They are understated for a start and their retro viewpoint looks back more at the eighties than the late sixties with Zohra Atash’s voice floating so easily over the music that you think she must surely be drawing inspiration from the likes of Julianne Regan or Inga Humpe.
The songs all kind of run together –which should normally annoy me but here it just works – with the art house swirl of the title track casting a spell on your attention and “The Wait” sounding like an escapee from the soundtrack of a Wim Wenders film but, like I said, if it wasn't for the flipping of the vinyl there would have been a near seamless transition from one song to the next. Despite all that, it has to be said that the sinuous and entrancing “Sunset” stood out for me.
Sound quality was a bit murky (and probably deliberately so) thus making an excellent excuse for an upgrade your phono preamp to a Graham Slee reflex M (it was for me!) and it was good to see the return of the cryptic run-out groove comment (“A Nightingale’s Excuse” and “A Prairie Nightmare” respectively on the A and B sides). The sleeve lists Bonati Mastering as responsible for the cut.
There’s magic to be found in this album. It might take you a while to figure that out but figure it out you will.