''Glimmer'' is an album by the American musician
Kevin Salem
Kevin Salem is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He began his career as a member of Dumptruck, and subsequently played with multiple artists on tour, including Yo La Tengo and Freedy Johnston, before beginning his solo ...
, released in 1996. Salem supported the album by opening for
the Connells on a North American tour.
Production
The album was produced by
Niko Bolas.
Frank Sampedro
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (born Manuel Francisco Sampedro de Victoria, February 25, 1949) is an American retired guitarist and member of the rock band Crazy Horse, known mainly for his longtime collaboration with singer-songwriter Neil Young. Samp ...
played guitar on several tracks;
David Mansfield
David Mansfield (born September 13, 1956) is an American musician and composer.
Mansfield was raised in Leonia, New Jersey. His father, Newton Mansfield was a first violinist in the New York Philharmonic. David played guitar, pedal steel guitar ...
played steel guitar on "Trouble".
[ ]Todd Thibaud
Todd Thibaud is a singer-songwriter based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a co-founder of the group Courage Brothers, a power pop group of the early 1990s, before establishing himself as a solo musician in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Bi ...
also contributed to ''Glimmer''. Salem was attracted to depressing subject matter and strove to capture a "sloppy" sound in the studio.[
]
Critical reception
The '' Washington City Paper'' thought that "the scrupulously tailored verse-chorus cadence of ''Glimmers anthems feels so immediately familiar that Salem could probably make a mint ghost-writing for Tom Petty." '' The Austin Chronicle'' stated that "''Glimmer'' is loaded with big guitars—chunky, Seventies-style arena-rock rhythms (think Joe Perry sans high-dollar production) with indie tones and guitar-noodling solos." '' The Tampa Tribune'' wrote: "Tom Petty with indie credibility for those hipsters who are too embarrassed to admit that ''Damn the Torpedoes'' rocks."[
Stewart Lee, of '' The Sunday Times'', declared that "beautiful, compelling, nerve-shattering lead-guitar lines snake and spiral over clean and uncluttered rhythm parts, never resorting to simple effects-pedal overload"; Lee later listed ''Glimmer'' as the best album of 1996. The '']St. Paul Pioneer Press
The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey County, Minn ...
'' thought that "Salem's tough/tender tunes, guitar wizardry and no-frills, all-thrills band just might set you on an endless road trip." The ''Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
'' deemed it "a screamer of an album that works the intersection of heartland rock 'n' roll and guitar-driven alternative rock."[ The '' Press-Telegram'' considered ''Glimmer'' to be the fifth best album of 1996.]
Track listing
References
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Kevin Salem albums
1996 albums
Roadrunner Records albums