After a decade of practice and dedicated craftmanship through EPs and Singles, Nashville-based artist Chaz Cardigan now finally released his full-length debut, “A Year in Glassland,” on AntiFragile Music. This album which was dropped on the 3rd of February marks the peak of Cardigan’s relentless pursuit of growth and personal struggles throughout his life and career.
How would you say to a person that you are trying to open up and talk about your current situation? The track specifically tackles that question, “Are We Gonna Do This” – is a track worthy to headline this LP. It has a great combination of vocals, indie rock, and electronic beats making it so easy to listen to the song. It has a great sense of storytelling which means that the lyrics were carefully crafted, which makes sense because the lines and how it cuts off add to the unique element of the track. It is a personal story of his life that tackles his connection with people amidst his struggle in the past year. It is demanding, and emotional, and it depicts confusion making it easy for us to relate as we listen to the song.
The song “Rashomon”, on the other hand, hits close to most of us. The song is light and packed with subtle electronic textures with the touch of Cardigan’s signature guitar and instruments. This song touches on a sensitive, yet close to the usual topic, of being an “enabler” friend and the confusion and anger that it actually causes. This song has undertones of regret that you will feel because of a mistake that we all make as friends, turning a blind eye to all the stupid b*llsh*ts that they make. It has a lighter vibe and has an easy-to-remember melody, well-crafted lyrics, and vocals that are great material for storytelling. It may have been subtle but the clever pause in between lines is very effective in emotional and gritty effects to the song.
Now here comes my personal favorite, the tracks “Used to Care” and “Used to Care (End)”. Both songs have distinct qualities that make them unique from each other, but still, it’s perfect for me although they have their differences. Used to Care has heavy drums and cymbals, combined with refreshing guitar riffs accompanying the drumbeats, however, Used to Care (End) surprises you with Cardigan’s clean and great vocals punctuated by heavy beats (YES! Vocals and Heavy beats, and just total silence) making the grit in the lyrics felt throughout the track. While the first track takes on all the external things that Cardigan Used to Care about, the latter song tackles all things personal. Both tracks are heavy on reflection. The reality is that at some point, Cardigan used to care about A LOT of things from the most mundane things to the most complex things that you could ever imagine. These things cause a lot of frustration which makes these tracks very emotionally real and relatable.
We go now to all the alternatives, electronic pop-offs, and synths: The Rot, Cling, and Diet Coke offer all this modern goodness. “Diet Coke” goes heavy on drums and guitar riffs. It has a very introspective tone that tells us the story of how Cardigan used to live when he was in a bad state. The line, “I’m drinking Diet Coke, you’ll gonna kill me slow” is so full of emotion. It is a personal story of how a battle is slowly won. “The Rot” – is a surprise. Its intro verse sounds like two people are actually debating on each side of your head. It is a clever move given that the track tackles about every “rot” found inside your house, outside, and even inside your heart. And then, there’s “Cling” – a track packed with electronic synths and uses voice-enhancing programs in a clever way. You know how sometimes; these things don’t work well on tracks? Cardigan proved it wrong as it worked perfectly on his song. The vocals and the production have fitted so well that this track gives off a distinct and unique nature from all the songs in this LP.
Here’s another strong track – “Oakblood”. This track is all about resilience. This is where you will hear the beauty and the prowess of Cardigan’s vocals. The introduction of this track which focuses on the isolated vocals and guitar is just pure utter goodness. The subtle synth sounds of the guitar also add to the strong effects of this song. This is a great example of a great production of a song. The way Cardigan sang this track is full of grit and raw emotion that reaches the audience as they go listen. Following this track, is “Poison Ivy”, a track with easy-to-remember beats, with subtle inclusion of voice effects that add up to the drama of the whole thing. It has light beats that highlight Cardigan’s vocal quality in this song. This too, is definitely a favorite.
It has been made clear that this album the story of Cardigan’s experience through the years and the song “Goodyear” is one of the songs that closely tells it. It talks about insecurities, struggles, and the frustration of wasting a good year because of all the hardships that came his way. The subtle dramatic undertones of the violin and the personal recordings of Cardigan’s loved ones added to the emotional effect of this track. This one speaks close to your heart. “What do you consider feeling alive?”, is a great question to ponder.
And to end this LP strong is the track “It’s Gonna Be Great (Hallelujah)”. It is light and great to listen to. It tells us the story of Cardigan’s struggle when he was down. It is a personal song dedicated to himself. That he should get better and move forward. That he should go out and experience the sun once again and get back on track after everything. It is a personal message to God; it is his prayer. He already accepted his fate but he is still hopeful as depicted in the line of his song, “But if it doesn’t kill me, it’s gonna be great”.
Each of Cardigan’s tracks offers a different story. It is like listening to someone’s soul being poured out in every track that you listen to. “A Year in a Glassland” is authentic, real, and carefully crafted with such intricacies that it translated into these beautiful tracks. This album goes beyond music; it is a personal story of resilience and survival. A significant and tangible proof that even after hardships, one can bloom!
Check out “A Year in Glassland” by Chaz Cardigan and be amazed by the craftsmanship of this talented young lad. Streaming on all major platforms! These are great tracks to upgrade your playlists. Stream now!
Connect with Chaz Cardigan
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About the Author
Born and raised in one of the 7000-ish islands in the Philippines, a self-proclaimed professional fangirl, with a degree in Biology. She probably annoy the people around her so much for not speaking and speaking too much. A frustrated writer, yes!
