Spy Glass Blue
Shadows
Reviewed by Chris Well
Allan Aguirre is an artist. Best known for his band scaterd few, his new group Spy Glass Blue features the same quirky alternative bent we've come to expect. Originally an indie project, Shadows is a collaboration with bassist River Tunnell and guitarist Kane Kelly. The album, which is finally finding national release, is a musical tapestry with many different elements woven together: If The Cure performed a David Bowie rock opera that was based on a demented Disney animated film ... well, you'd be approaching the ballpark. It's a haunting mix, a chilling musical portrait of the confusion of life outside of Christ. The album opens with "Thin and Leaner," which points out how brittle a life of the flesh can be. From there, Aguirre likens salvation to coming in out of the cold ("Lodger"), speaks to religious leaders who hide their own spiritual shortcomings ("Stygian"), and uses Pauline language to question the listener about who could wield the power of God--allowing the listener to fill in the obvious answer for themselves. Shadows is an interactive journey which expects listeners to search the lyrics--and the Scriptures and their hearts--to fully come to a knowledge of Christ. The densely packed poetic imagery will be too thick a wall for some to penetrate--these lyrics require time and thought. However, as with all art where Christ is the central theme--it's always worth the work.