GLEN 

discography  

Pull! 2021

Wilhelm Stegmeier – guitar, double bass, bass, piano, synthesizers, 

cimbalom, percussion, vocals 

Eleni Ampelakiotou – guitar, piano, percussion, vocals 

Maria Zastrow – bass 

Brendan Dougherty – drums, percussion 


Recorded by Þóroddur Ingvarsson and Wilhelm Stegmeier 

Mixed by MACK · Mastered by EROC at Eroc’s Mastering Ranch 

Produced by Wilhelm Stegmeier and Eleni Ampelakiotou for 

FALLING ELEVATORS 


Artwork by Michael Bulgrin · Cover photographs by Wilhelm Stegmeier · 

All other images public domain. 

Special thanks to Inga-Britt Wassmann, Michael Bulgrin and MACK. 


Vinyl released and distributed by SOUND EFFECT RECORDS · 

CD released and distributed by ANESTHETIZE PRODUCTIONS. 

© & 2021 FALLING ELEVATORS – All rights reserved. 

“All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.”

                                                                                                  Herman Melville


While GLEN´s previous album CRACK “switched in and out of different moods with a sense of widescreen dynamics and penchant for extended narratives that were shaped by their cinematic endeavours”, their new album PULL! is even more consistent in their wandering through the glens of nearly unmarketable instrumental elegies rejecting despite their haunting melodies any assignment to traditional rock aesthetics, similar to the uncompromising deconstructing energy of the avant-rock movement citing “there are no waves, only the ocean”.

PULL! loom up to elegant mesmerizing structures of free improvisation, meditative minimalism and multidimensional layered soundscapes. Pursuing an abrasive reductionism GLEN merges disparate styles and contrasting textures to a unique sound of tempting narratives, vertiginous swelling dissonant chords, melodic patterns and abstract noise. 

PULL! was mixed by german producer legend MACK, who started his career in Giorgio Moroder´s Musicland Studios working with bands like Marc Bolan´s T. Rex, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, early Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Sparks, etc. and of course became famous as the producer of Queen. 

The playful sensibility of seductive melodies, driving rhythms and subtle electronics set the stage for purposeful ambiguity as the title of the album PULL!, the track Ahab and the artwork refer to Mocha Dick, a famed aggressive whale, first mentioned in 1839 in a story published in The Knickerbocker, New-York Monthly Magazine, which was likely an inspiration for Melville’s Moby Dick.


Mythical Characters like Ahab, unbearable endeavours like Korinth and the Rosebud like enigma of Davos are open to multiple interpretations, a Lecture on madness, bliss, obsession, greed and tragedy of mankind enveloped in an album cover that was shot in the abandoned offices of the Athen´s Stock Exchange. 


“Is it not curious, that so vast a being as the whale should see the world through so small an eye, and hear the thunder through an ear which is smaller than a hare's?(…) — Why then do you try to ‘enlarge’ your mind? Subtilize it”

Entirely instrumental, GLEN “subtilize” one´s mind by including a single surprising vocal track to the five track album PULL! of mystical serene beauty – an exceptional version of John Cale´s Buffalo Ballet.

„Berlin krautrockers GLEN have made an evolutionary leap from 2017’s CRACK. While that LP featured two long instrumentals and three vocal tracks, PULL! is all instrumental save for the physical only bonus track; and the quartet’s sound has grown far more intense. The loose theme involving seafaring, shipwrecks and waves, with appropriate art, only adds to the appeal.


As each track averages ten minutes, there’s plenty of room for these jams to unfurl. Most are built upon a central riff that plunges into various permutations, like adventures on the sea. Every return to the riff causes a rush of adrenaline, the thrill of recognizing a lover or friend. And man, does this album rock. One can imagine entering into a trance at the arena (and wouldn’t it be amazing to have such a concert on a weather-worn whaling ship?) The cover art may be a knot in the wood or the eye of a whale. As both of the main composers also work in film ~ one a filmmaker and the other a film composer ~ the cinematic connections are clear. An excellent use of the stereo field produces the feeling of being on deck, watching for dangers starboard and aft.


“Korinth” is swift and propulsive, conjuring images of a barker in the hull of a slave ship, yelling “PULL!” The ship is speeding through the waters, breaking through the waves. Even when the guitars reach a lull, the tempo continues unaltered. There is no slowing this mission, or this track. By “Ahab,” one feels the craze, the mania, the bloodlust. Even if the captain senses a shipwreck, the harpoons will be at the ready, the ship battling beast and sea. It matters not if this specific whale be Melville’s Moby Dick, The Knickerbocker‘s Mocha Dick, or a more contemporary mammal. But as the album is purposely freeform, one may extend the hunt to the realm of metaphor: to any runaway pursuit, from action to opinion, that resists reason in a headlong plunge to oblivion.


There is no time for reflection when one’s rope is connected to a breaching behemoth. But those who purchase a vinyl or CD copy will receive an alternate ending, a cover of John Cale’s “Buffalo Ballet.” This turns out to be an inspired idea, adding depth to the narrative. Thanks to this track, the rock becomes rock and roll, the ship returning to port, the bedraggled sailors finding their way to land. Here there be lyrics, but only in the second half, sleeping in the midday sun after so many months at sea. A relentless eye continues to watch from afar.“


                                                                                                                                                                                                       a closer listen (Richard Allen)

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam tincidunt lorem enim, eget fringilla turpis congue vitae. Phasellus aliquam nisi ut lorem vestibulum eleifend. Nulla ut arcu non nisi congue venenatis vitae ut ante. Nam iaculis sem nec ultrices dapibus. Phasellus eu ultrices turpis. Vivamus non mollis lacus, non ullamcorper nisl. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Phasellus sit amet scelerisque ipsum. Morbi nulla dolor, adipiscing non convallis rhoncus, ornare sed risus.
Sed adipiscing eget nibh at convallis. Curabitur eu gravida mauris, sit amet dictum metus. Sed a elementum arcu. Proin consectetur eros vitae odio sagittis, vitae dignissim justo sollicitudin. Phasellus non varius lacus, aliquet feugiat mauris. Phasellus fringilla commodo sem vel pellentesque. Ut porttitor tincidunt risus a pharetra. Cras nec vestibulum massa. Mauris sagittis leo a libero convallis accumsan. Aenean ut mollis ipsum. Donec aliquam egestas convallis. Fusce dapibus, neque sed mattis consectetur, erat nibh vulputate sapien, ac accumsan arcu sem quis nibh. Etiam et mi sed mauris commodo tristique. Proin mollis elementum purus, a porta quam vehicula et.
Quisque ullamcorper, sapien ut egestas faucibus, tortor mauris tempor odio, sed pretium risus dui sit amet lectus. Sed ligula mi, tincidunt nec porttitor vel, aliquet sit amet libero. Nulla sagittis ultricies sem, non pretium augue bibendum vitae. Nunc luctus tristique urna eu tincidunt. Etiam ultricies neque ante, ut placerat dolor iaculis dapibus. Curabitur luctus orci et gravida laoreet. Sed ultrices id nulla id mollis. Donec tempor dapibus sem, a convallis felis elementum sed. Aenean nisi tortor, dictum ac massa non, rhoncus sagittis leo. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. Proin id justo sit amet mi euismod lobortis. Morbi at mauris condimentum, vestibulum risus eu, laoreet elit. Aenean posuere risus vel hendrerit dignissim. In leo tellus, feugiat sit amet purus laoreet, consequat tincidunt orci. Integer sit amet justo in mi rhoncus commodo. Duis sagittis augue nisi, in fringilla tortor iaculis id.
Aenean luctus sodales tempus. Sed tincidunt nisl in nisl congue, at facilisis lorem posuere. Donec id erat vel lectus volutpat pellentesque a quis magna. Praesent bibendum orci in lobortis porta. Suspendisse eget odio a ligula ornare mollis. Maecenas eleifend urna ac feugiat posuere. Donec turpis ipsum, rhoncus eu laoreet eu, viverra tristique urna. Aliquam euismod velit mi, et pharetra libero gravida vitae. Praesent ligula lorem, hendrerit ut laoreet a, porta ut diam. Cras tellus lacus, mattis quis rhoncus id, interdum eget mi. Sed ac aliquet ligula, suscipit malesuada dui. Fusce eu nibh eget diam aliquet feugiat. Nam orci neque, volutpat ac metus id, fermentum tristique sapien. Phasellus ac ultricies risus.
Aenean vitae blandit nibh. Vestibulum a justo non lorem malesuada commodo. Suspendisse ac mi sit amet neque molestie interdum in at eros. Proin ac suscipit arcu, non suscipit felis. Donec accumsan, quam non pulvinar venenatis, sapien nulla venenatis neque, sit amet pulvinar turpis ipsum id elit. Donec interdum tellus ut dolor placerat, faucibus accumsan enim consectetur. Aenean dolor magna, condimentum eget interdum eget, dictum id tortor. Proin commodo risus vitae purus laoreet, sed malesuada massa congue.
Ut imperdiet sit amet turpis in elementum. Fusce at bibendum sapien, et convallis justo. Aenean lacinia ligula quis fringilla rutrum. Aenean eu ultricies nibh. Quisque ultrices suscipit dui ut mattis. Morbi pretium mattis tortor non tempor. Donec mattis pharetra justo, nec commodo velit placerat ut. Fusce vitae porta magna, in tristique nulla. Fusce accumsan erat quis tellus pellentesque, ut facilisis velit vulputate. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Suspendisse potenti.
Praesent rutrum neque neque, et sodales est blandit ac. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Aliquam viverra, augue non sollicitudin porttitor, mi lectus malesuada augue, id fringilla sapien lectus at ipsum. Quisque vel lacus luctus, suscipit eros a, iaculis ipsum. Maecenas viverra accumsan felis, sit amet consequat quam viverra aliquam. Sed sodales sem nec lectus molestie, eu commodo est fermentum. Donec accumsan tempor viverra. Cras non nibh porttitor, pharetra nibh a, aliquet velit. Fusce vel fringilla mauris. Nulla facilisi.
Vestibulum libero arcu, aliquet in sapien posuere, vestibulum lobortis mauris. Quisque congue cursus commodo. Nulla et dolor ultrices, gravida tortor vitae, adipiscing nibh. In in lorem ut diam ultrices faucibus. Ut nec nulla a dui molestie luctus. Nulla et risus pharetra, fringilla risus faucibus, fermentum mauris. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nunc luctus, risus non pretium elementum, ante leo imperdiet neque, a elementum ante magna in nisl.
Maecenas in lobortis turpis. Aliquam et sapien nec arcu faucibus accumsan in ac metus. Donec ut hendrerit tortor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut massa elit, viverra et egestas non, pellentesque a nulla. Pellentesque enim nunc, volutpat eu nibh eu, consequat tincidunt sem. Ut varius feugiat risus et hendrerit.
Donec quis feugiat dolor, ac ornare diam. Morbi volutpat viverra mauris et condimentum. Pellentesque tincidunt, ipsum non faucibus tincidunt, leo lacus hendrerit felis, nec mollis magna nisl vel urna. Etiam semper, purus sed hendrerit mollis, nunc lectus pulvinar magna, vel suscipit nunc sapien non leo. Donec id purus sit amet turpis tempor mollis et eu lorem. Nam tortor justo, sagittis nec hendrerit nec, adipiscing at ipsum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Etiam lobortis mauris eget tellus eleifend, vel tincidunt metus adipiscing. Integer semper elementum ligula a convallis. Ut tristique metus ultrices luctus varius. Sed posuere lacus velit, vel placerat justo viverra mattis. Morbi vehicula ipsum id placerat condimentum. Vestibulum tortor quam, convallis sit amet convallis sed, ultrices a neque. Cras eu vehicula dui. Vestibulum varius eleifend lorem, id lobortis sapien. Pellentesque at vulputate ligula.
Aliquam erat volutpat. Aenean sit amet leo libero. Morbi vitae tellus at neque porta imperdiet. Nunc tellus nisl, tempus eget vestibulum convallis, convallis in sapien. Nulla nec metus nec nunc lacinia molestie non a magna. Phasellus sit amet tincidunt est. Etiam a ipsum volutpat, congue dui vel, aliquam felis.
Phasellus a diam mi. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Donec libero velit, sollicitudin eget sem eu, porta tempor lacus. Phasellus a metus nec odio tempor dapibus. Sed pulvinar tortor mi, dictum mattis felis sollicitudin a. Duis odio purus, lobortis et volutpat ut, porttitor nec arcu. Sed vel ipsum mollis, ultricies massa eget, tincidunt turpis. Etiam suscipit sapien ac odio tempor, nec mollis purus tempor. Nunc bibendum dolor vel commodo convallis. Morbi nulla nisi, commodo ut lectus a, aliquam pretium sapien. Proin tempus ornare tincidunt. Vivamus luctus ac enim eget ornare. Nam eget blandit velit, sit amet blandit justo.
Maecenas feugiat aliquet ligula quis aliquet. Sed a massa at turpis posuere malesuada quis sit amet magna. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam sagittis lacus eget vehicula gravida. Nulla mattis justo ut nisi pulvinar, vitae consequat diam tincidunt. Nam quis ante nec purus malesuada tincidunt vel imperdiet metus. Proin id risus sapien. Duis porttitor urna non nulla sagittis aliquet.
Morbi pretium feugiat tortor. Duis posuere neque sed orci fringilla dictum. Etiam at purus in nibh placerat mattis nec sit amet ipsum. Curabitur at faucibus felis, quis pulvinar purus. Quisque bibendum diam id sem iaculis, et condimentum orci scelerisque. Phasellus tincidunt, est sed aliquam dignissim, risus odio aliquam quam, in facilisis lacus tortor eget elit. Nunc viverra risus sit amet iaculis gravida. Sed tincidunt sit amet neque a placerat.
Cras a mattis quam. Suspendisse urna metus, pretium eu nisi a, facilisis laoreet arcu. Nullam ut ornare lectus, sit amet porttitor nibh. Praesent nec accumsan tellus. Fusce aliquet aliquet rutrum. Fusce nunc nibh, faucibus sit amet fermentum ac, blandit eget velit. Pellentesque tempor iaculis pulvinar. Phasellus sed tellus imperdiet, semper dolor vitae, blandit ipsum. Donec et nibh eu libero lacinia consectetur eu ac lacus. Aenean luctus, nisi ac tempus volutpat, tortor magna vulputate dui, non sollicitudin elit purus in lacus. Praesent dignissim nisl velit, in molestie sem pellentesque quis. Fusce enim sem, faucibus ac sollicitudin sed, sagittis vitae ipsum. Proin pellentesque mauris eget diam cursus, in molestie nibh gravida.

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung von:

Diese Website verwendet Cookies. Bitte lesen Sie unsere Datenschutzerklärung für Details.

Verweigern

OK