The album opens with a big, swirling vortex of feedback and sustain, before resolving into a tough, tuneful riff. “Collide” clocks in under two minutes, and sets up the rest of the album nicely,

“Back To You” relies on a chugging hard pop riff, with the lyrics drawing from the cosmic setting of “Collide.” It’s a well-crafted, rocking pop gem, with great lyrics like “Whatever you say, whatever you do, leads me back to you…” and tight, tough playing from the whole band…engaging lead guitar solos and fills (courtesy of Greg Saulmon) and non-nonsense dynamic drumming (from Mike Franklin, who proclaims on the band’s Website that “Performance and production are important factors in a song, but strong melodic content is always THE essential element for me,” and the band actually walks the talk in that regard. The other band members are Brad Thayer on lead vocals and Neal Robinson on bass, another player who also doesn’t mess around when it comes to booming, feel it in your chest sustained notes that mix a slithering, supple approach with hard-hitting accents that couple perfectly with Mike’s drumming. Tommy Pluta is a multi-instrumentalist who’s featured on second guitar and vocals, and…once again quoting the band’s website, “with a songwriter’s sensibility to his playing.” That’s evident to anyone who hears this album. This band functions in service to the song. So many artists miss the importance of this. The Glad Machine does not, they “get” it, and work it magnificently.

“Gravity Sunshine” continues the vibe of hard-punching instrumentation wrapping itself around pristine harmony vocals and intermittent psychedelic flourishes. Traces of Brit Invasion at its finest weave their way in and out.

“So High” was previously a single that I’ve featured on There Once Was A Note several times. This one really serves up the hooks, harmonies, and the sixties / seventies songwriting practice of naming a mystery woman at the heart of the story (“Elena”)…there’s no question that this song is determined to be a hit (and it was, and it is)…the irresistible “You get me so high” chorus leads to a big, bold, finish, with the band inexplicably delivering pure pop melodies on top of hard, aggressive playing. Many bands choose one extreme or the other. The Glad Machine has a clear gift for bringing them both together.

“Can We Still Fall In Love This Summer” is a nice mid-album track that fits nicely into the overall scheme of the album, with a more stately ballad approach.

The title track, “All The Pretty Things,” plays to all of the strengths laid out above, with a nice, chugging instrumental bridge and more great swoops and dive bombs on guitar. The harmony vocals on all songs aren’t strictly or literally “Beach Boys” or “Beatles” styled, but it’s clear that the band has studied how to dynamically intertwine and layer the vocals in a complex and constantly rewarding manner.

“Caroline” is jam-packed with riffs and hooks, another mystery woman at the heart of the song’s tale. Everything on this album is radio-ready, but not in a “bang it out” assembly line way. This one has no shortage of volume and confident attack, but is that a TRIANGLE I hear in the midst of it all? And it finishes with a couple of strums of acoustic guitar.

“She Said” begins as a relaxed piano ballad, in great contrast to the tuneful bombast that has preceded it, with the band entering midway, and a soaring, elegaic guitar solo.

“Want To Be The Light” wraps up the album in under a minute, a nice, gentle procession to the exits after 8 solid tracks.

This is an album that lives up to the “all killer, no filler” credo…it’s clear that it’s a well-thought out, well-executed collection, and the band deserves to take great pride in what they’ve accomplished here.