Glen Porter: Smile Now, Cry Later
Ooohh! Thats Heavy

Though this spanking seven-inch (white vinyl!) from Glen Porter (real name Ryan Stephenson) serves up only eight minutes of new music, it's nevertheless eight fabulous minutes. Quite frankly, I haven't happened upon a better tune in recent memory than the beautifully realized “Smile Now,” wherein Stephenson drapes twanging electric guitar figures and simple electric piano chords over crisp kick drum beats and buckshot snares, and then sneaks in some sputtering synth work as the crowning touch. Quietly uplifting and deepened with just the right dash of melancholy, the song squeezes considerable punch into its tiny package. The other side's “Cry Later,” all rampaging drums, massive bass lines, and reverb-drenched guitar wail, throws down four minutes of classic Glen Porter thunder in a style reminiscent of his previous Inner Current (Something Glue) and Project Mooncircle (Falling Down) releases. Stephenson even throws in some mighty bass wobble to hint at a dubstep influence but the tune ultimately sounds like nothing else but Glen Porter. Get it while you can.

April 2010