Australian three-piece Looking Glass made their debut in 2006 with a self-titled offering of heavy riffs and low-bottom grooves. It was a solid first showing, had some potential, and was ultimately up-front in what it was trying to achieve – riffing out, tossing in some psych. The follow-up, 2007’s 2, was also self-released and expanded greatly the psychedelic flourishes, pushing to the fore a jammed sensibility that the first outing didn’t have. It too was more a showing of potential, though, and listening to this year’s III, it seems as though Looking Glass – guitarist/vocalist Marcus de Pasquale, bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Lachlan Paine and drummer Clinton Paine – have spent the last four years making sure the potential they showed their last two times out started paying off. In short, it worked. III – the switch to Roman numerals being evident in the digipak artwork – blends the approaches of Looking Glass’ two prior releases, focusing in its earlier tracks on riffy drive and rhythmic crunch, and then gradually shifting into more spacious and expansive elements, more than doubling the runtime of songs like the catchy “Electric Mistress” or “Child of Vertigo” with the massive closing duo “Wizard of the Skull” (12:05) and “The King in Yellow” (11:07).

But for the smoothness of the transition by which that shift takes place, III would almost certainly be following a vinyl structure. Rather, it seems to be that rare thing these days: a CD actually meant to be a CD. The 49 minutes have a linear pattern, so that as “Child of Vertigo” (4:46) gives way to the transitional “Spiral Altar” (8:47), there’s less of a jump than there might be if, say, you were meant to flip a record from one side to the other. That said, the last two tracks are just about two minutes shorter than the five preceding, and that time can be largely accounted for in the acoustic interlude “Shores of Carcosa,” which divides opener “Heavy on the Hook” and “Electric Mistress” from “Child of Vertigo” and “Spiral Altar,” so maybe it could go either way. In any case, Looking Glass do well with the compact disc structure, and the progression of their songs is carried across without sounding forced or losing the momentum built by the first several tracks. To that end, “Heavy on the Hook” lives up to its name as the launch for III. Undeniably riff-based, it finds Marcus shouting far back in the mix behind Clinton’s propulsive drumming and righteously thick fills from Lachlan. At about halfway through, the groove opens up, Lachlan hits the wah and things go full-stoner, which serves as a solid lead-in for “Electric Mistress,” which is III’s best chorus and most classic jam. Marcus unrepentantly noodles through a solo and Sabbathian transitions smoothly executed by the Paines lead the way back into the song’s inevitable finish. By the time “Shores of Carcosa” comes on with a bit of finger, the breather is appreciated.

Read more »

Yeah, I know I kind of have a thing for the Oceania stoner/doom scene (Pod People, Arc of Ascent, etc.) but you take one listen to the killer riffage coming out of Canberra trio Looking Glass and see if you’re not right there with me. They’ve got two EPs out, aptly titled Looking Glass (2006) and 2 (2007), and there are four songs up for listening on their MySpace. One comes from 2, the other three from Looking Glass.

I heard “Freya” first, which is the track from 2. There’s a ton of space in the guitars of Marcus de Pasquale (who also handles vocals), but even has he launches into a massive solo that engulfs about half the seven-minute song, I’m even more mesmerized by the grooves of the rhythm section. Bassist Lachlan Paine and drummer Clinton Paine, relation assumed, seem to be holding the song down for de Pasquale, as if to say, “We got this, you go ahead and mess around for a while” in classic ’70s jam fashion. Lachlan‘s bass tone features on “Freya,” but also on “Psychonaut” from Looking Glass, which by and large is more straightforward with rougher production. The same could be said for the shorter “Procession” and “Acid Tongue,” the latter of which is easily the fastest of the four, but all of which sport some serious grooves.

The playing of de Pasquale is going to be a highlight for riff junkies, and as Looking Glass prepare their next release for this coming Fall, I wouldn’t be surprise to see them head in an even more psychedelic direction, though I certainly hope de Pasquale keeps some of the meat in his riffs as he shows in the classically metallic “Procession.” Wherever they go from here, Looking Glass‘ two EPs are definitely worth a look on MySpace, and the Aussie trio are yet another killer act from Down Under on the radar.