Brano del giorno: "Behold, The Ziddle"

... dei Glass Hammer




The way you must find
So you stop to read the signs
Don’t be alarmed by the riddles
It’s just the language of the middle

Let the locusts fly
Let the fires rise
Pay no heed to the glaring, mischievous eyes

Silently calling
Afraid of falling
And never looking round
Uncertain backing
Clearly lacking
And drowning in the sound

See the man with the grinning face that never smiles
He’s been watching you back all the while
And thinking thoughts that are just a little sideways

Here comes the parade
In torrential rain,
Just to soothe the commoners
The possessed and insane

Their stomachs are gnawing
They’re ready for clawing
If I linger long
I’ll be butcher’s bait
In the Ziddle’s hands
Is your fate!

What a feature
This odd little creature
Whose efforts appear so vain
There’s things he can’t find
Inside of his mind
That used to make him sane

He has a three-sided dance that’s all the rage
It looks like it’s in reverse
But that’s just because
You can’t see things from his perspective

Through a wintry scene I flee
A murky hollow looms ahead of me
Down I slip and tumble
Torn and bruised I lay humble
Am I lost forevermore
In this dark world

Now I only walk the lonely way
Where all is sadness
How dearly I’d love to pray
Yet all is madness

But I’m realizing I’ve walk this road before
Could it be I’m only dreaming
And nothing more
And if this is indeed merely a nightmare
Then I’m the sole creator of the Ziddle’s lair
Thus will I end his evil world
And a sure pathway home I will unfurl

Down, down, down
That dark road I went just to see
Just to see
Down, down that dark road
I’ve ceased to be me
Yet a light I can see
It’s growing close
Searching for me
How I long to be free
Free at last!
Good morning sunshine! 

Susie Bogdanowicz

I Glass Hammer sono una formazione statunitense di prog rock sinfonico. Formatisi nel 1992, sono virtualmente un progetto dei due musicisti (multistrumentisti) Steve Babb e Fred Schendel. La band nacque per realizzare il "concept album" Journey of the Dunadan (ispirato al personaggio di Aragorn, della saga di Tolkien Il Signore degli Anelli), e il successo fu così grande (almeno su Internet) che Babb e Schendel decisero di continuare per quella strada.  

 
Nel corso degli anni molti i musicisti che hanno collaborato con Steve Babb (voce, basso, tastiere) e Fred Schandel (voce, tastiere, chitarre, percussioni). Dal 2004 il batterista è Matt Mendians. Il celebre baluardo degli Yes Jon Anderson ha contribuito ai backup vocals di due canzoni dell'album del 2007 Culture of Ascent. Tra gli altri cantanti che hanno partecipato ad album e concerti dei Glass Hammer: Michelle Young, Walter Moore, Carl Groves, Susie Bogdanowicz e, dulcis in fundo, Jon Davison (sì, il nuovo cantante degli Yes).

Oltre che a Tolkien, i testi della band si ispirano a C. S. Lewis, John Krakauer, alla mitologia medievale e alla prosa vittoriana. Il suono, carburato dall'Hammond, si rifà chiaramente agli Anni Settanta (ELP, Yes, Genesis, Camel...).

I membri attuali:

Steve Babb, Fred Schendel, Alan Shikoh (chitarra), Jon Davison (voce solista).

Steve Babb

  Fred Schendel