MARCO GLÜHMANN

Album: A Fragile Present

Genre: Pop / Rock

Release Date: June 14th, 2024

Country: Germany

Label: Gentle Art of Music

Band Links: WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

It’s a good thing to wake up with a nice melody in mind, isn’t it? And when talking about new music, this is normally also a sign for me to pay more attention to the respective piece. In case of Marco Glühmann’s solo debut, who is best known for being the singer of German proggers Sylvan, it was the powerful chorus of “Hear Our Voice” and the beautiful “Reach Out” that stuck with me that way first, followed by the emotional “My Eyes Are Wide Open”.

The album is called “A Fragile Present” and contains 12 rather melancholic songs, most of them written in a short time period, reflecting on the transient gift of life, whether in a personal or global contex. For the recordings, he got support by several well-known musicians out of the Artrock scene, yet I wouldn’t call this a Prog album, as it leans more into the Pop / Rock direction stylistically, standing out thanks to the expressive vocals that carry the listener through the different stories with marvelous melodies.

Other favorites besides the earlier mentioned tracks would be "Faceless", which reminds me a bit of Swedish Rockers Reach, and "For A While" with its wonderful, light-feeted vibe. Regarding the overall listening experience, the album as a whole has the one or other length in the middle, yet the songs themselves work well on their own, and depending on the personal situation might offer these special moments to connect with. Because of the mostly thoughtful, calm characteristic, this is not a record for hectic days, but worth to give it a spin during a quiet moment.

Written by Katha