''Cor Cordium'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: "Heart of Hearts") is the twelfth studio album by American

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Glass Hammer Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, created and led by Steve Babb and Fred Schendel. Babb and Schendel, who founded the band in 1992, are the only constant members in the lineup, having surrounded the ...

. The name of the album is taken from the poem of the same name by

Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...

. The album follows the

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

-progressive musical direction of the previous album '' If'' after the arrival of singer

Jon Davison Jon Davison (born January 16, 1971) is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Ha ...

and guitarist Alan Shikoh.

Production

Songwriting

Although all the songs on ''Cor Cordium'' have their music credited to Steve Babb, Fred Schendel,

and Alan Shikoh and all their lyrics to Babb, Schendel and Davison, Babb and Schendel were more precise in an interview: Schendel describes "Nothing Box" as "a more aggressive song overall while keeping the verses very melodic". It was originally built around the electric piano riff of its verse. Babb wrote the lyrics of "One Heart" to comfort his wife, as her mother had only a few days left before her death. "She had been crippled for three years and was in tremendous pain, but she was a Christian (and the best mother-in-law a man could ask for!) and knew that she was heading home to Heaven." He stated that his wife still cries every time she hears the song. "Salvation Station" and "Dear Daddy" were both mostly written by Davison. His original version of "Salvation Station" was an acoustic song featuring him only, on vocals and acoustic bass guitar. The band expanded it into a non-acoustic version featuring all members, with Babb adding "the middle break with the solos and the very Gentle Giant-y part". "Dear Daddy" was originally written and recorded by Davison in the early 1990s. According to Schendel, the lyrics "come from a far more personal place than we would ever normally get into." The final result is a mix of both Davison's original recording and new work. "To Someone" was written by Schendel and Davison. Schendel stated "Basically, the instrumental parts are me and the vocal parts are Jon." The piano break in the middle of the song is based around the guitar intro of "Dear Daddy". The lyrics of "She, a Lonely Tower" were written by Davison. The music was mostly composed by Babb, with Schendel and Shikoh also adding sections. The song is about isolation, and trying to help a loved one break free of it. The first day Babb started to work on the song, both his studio and home in Tennessee were slammed by a tornado. "You just have to picture me sitting at the keyboard one moment, and in the next realizing a storm was coming. I quickly turned off all the computers – just in time. Seconds later – WHAM!. It was over in 60 seconds but it seemed a lifetime. Then…just two months later I was about to head to the studio again."

Track listing

Personnel

Glass Hammer *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s * Fred Schendel –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

and acoustic guitars,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Steve Babb – bass, keyboards, backing vocals * Alan Shikoh – acoustic,

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

and

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

electric sitar An electric sitar is a type of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the sitar, a traditional musical instrument of India. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional ...

Additional musicians * Randall Williams –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jeffrey Sick –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

on "Dear Daddy" * Ed Davis –

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

on "Dear Daddy" Production * Fred Schendel and Steve Babb –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Tom Kuhn –

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

work *

Bob Katz Bob Katz is an American audio mastering engineer and author of a popular book on audio mastering. Katz has mastered three Grammy Award–winning albums and one nominated album. Projects he has worked on have received Grammys and acclaim from audi ...

– mastering * Daylon Walden – co-production and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

on "Dear Daddy" * Julie Babb – Administration, band photography

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Glass Hammer albums