Rainsplitter

Brian Glaze has a way with rock & roll history: combining well-worn elements of folk, country, and psychedelia, Rainsplitter evokes specific eras and styles of the rock canon without ever sounding derivative. Taking off from his home base of Oakland, CA, where, with cohort Greg Ashley of similar-minded psych rockers the Gris Gris (they co-produced and performed these songs together), Glaze summons the ghosts of Syd Barrett, Roky Erickson, and the Laurel Canyon troubadours of the '70s. He also references modern-day proponents of lysergic rock like Spacemen 3, Julian Cope, and, of course, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, his former band. A refreshing aspect of this album is the off-the-cuff feel, from the captured conversation snippets on the title track and the party noise of "Bad News" to the faux applause track on "Welcome to the Cinema." In a most sincere homage, Glaze even has the balls to include the repeated words "Hey Jude..." in a song that sounds absolutely nothing like the Beatles ("Magic Lover"). "Aurora" looks to the L.A. school, borrowing from the old (the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers) as well as the new (Beachwood Sparks and the Tyde). "Where Do Tears Come From" is a soulful ballad with a heavy nod to his fellow Bay Area retro-rocker Bart Davenport that adds a Morricone-esque feel with tremolo guitar, ominous backing vocals, and heavily reverbed production. And any number of tracks would not be out of place on a Kelley Stoltz album, thus completing the San Francisco circuit as well. Throughout this musical tribute, Glaze comes off like your neighborhood rock historian who will affably invite you back to his flat for some tasty herb and red wine, letting you into his world via his collection of vintage vinyl.