Ian McGlynn

Ian McGlynn - Tomorrow's REtaken (Bailey Park)

Remix albums are a strange animal. A lot of times there doesn't seem to be much of a point to it, really. It's as though an artist is too burnt out or lazy to come up with new material, so they call up some buddies with laptops and call in a favor and voila! a remix album is born in all its scattershot, completely unnecessary glory to be sold to die-hard fans and not really anybody else.

The New York singer/songwriter Ian McGlynn chips away at that mold with TomorrowÕs REtaken, a remixed version of his 2004 LP, Tomorrow's Taken.

Claiming to be the remixing work of "luminaries and local heroes," the retooled record follows expectations to the letter in that it takes the existing frameworks of McGlynn's soft-rock piano ballads and electrifies them with stutters and synthesized rhythms. The most recognizeable name on the list of remixers is Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, but the relative obscurity of the remixers makes sense for the project, given the relative obscurity of its source material.

But obscurity doesn't necessitate a lack of quality. Indeed, McGlynn's songwriting is solid and his sense of melody well-suited to his particular brand of mellow, melodic pop rock in the vein of Ben Folds sounding a bit like Thom Yorke. The remixers utilize the melodic underpinnings of McGlynn's voice, giving the songs an electro-lounge feel and giving the songs a new identity.

But what really stands out about Tomorrow's REtaken is that it stands alone. It's not a companion piece as much as it is a new work entirely.

-Bryan Reed

- The Daily Tar Heel ~ Diversions

Ian McGlynn - Tomorrow's Re-taken
(Bailey Park)

Tomorrow's Re-Taken is a peculiar little beast. See, a few years ago an obscure indie artist named Ian McGlynn debuted with a slick alt-pop record. We liked it (check our review). In the interest of his fans, McGlynn commissioned this remix album while he finishes up his proper sophomore effort. Tomorrow's Re-Taken plays like the shadow of the original album, in that all 10 tracks are remixed in sequence. McGlynn is a supurb songwriter and arranger, and while many of these remixes are cool ("You Might Understand [Klay Kortz Reemix]", "Be My Guide [Chemical Remix]", and "Turn Away [Story Of The World Remix]"), a few fall into cliche territory ("The Exception [Club Remix]" and "How Did I Get Here? [DM Remix]"). As far as album remixes go though, this isn't bad. I perfer to hear albums like this as companion pieces, and in that light, this record is nothing short of enjoyable. McGlynn is a highly talented artist with stellar vocals, and it's a bit of novelty to hear these jams grace overtop of glitchy electronica. Night-time headphone music to chill to. I'd recommend this album for fans of Air, Royksopp, Madonna, and The Postal Service. Perfect for a few choice cuts on your summertime mix-tape! - The Black and White Magazine

Ian McGlynn, Tomorrow's Taken (Bailey Park) Rating: 8

Ian McGlynn relies on synthesizers. In spite of this though, McGlynn is able to create a warm, human thread on most of these 11 tracks, creating a jazzy, winding kind of pop that would fit somewhere between David Gray and Joe Jackson in the record collection. The dreamy, sound effects-tinged "Morning Prayer" is a great intro into McGlynn's world. But this pales compared to the lush and sugar-coated "You Might Understand" and "The Exception" with its moody tone that could be mistaken for a Savage Garden b-side. McGlynn is schooled in old-school pop, particularly on the head bobbing "No Time" that McCartney and Lennon perfected decades ago. There's an innocence rarely seen in today's music that is quite refreshing. A good example is "Southard Park" with its playground noise in the distance. Elliott Smith comparisons might be discerned throughout the fabulous "How Did I Get Here?" The lone clunker is the aimless "Be My Guide". Fortunately "Turn Away" leaves you wanting more.

Ñ Jason MacNeil
- POPMATTERS

Ian McGlynn
Tomorrow's Taken
Bailey Park

Painfully catchy and surprisingly well-arranged, TOMORROW'S TAKEN is one of those albums in which every song is a standout track. Ian McGlynn appropriately uses synthesizers with piano to formulate dreamy pop with a hint of the '60s intertwined with every vocal melody. Upon hearing tracks like "You Might Understand", I began to think about how a good song can truly fix any bad mood. The electronic arrangements share a similarity with that of Xiu Xiu, and the songs themselves are the very stuff that dream pop is made of. If you're into Mae, The Helio Sequence, or even The Postal Service, you'll be swimming in a pool of your new favorite songs with TOMORROW'S TAKEN.

-Zac
- Skratch Magazine

Ian McGlynn Ð Tomorrow's Taken (Bailey Park):

Moody melodic pop music from an artist who knows his way around a studio, ably aided by producer Shane Tutmarc from the band Dolour. McGlynn's melancholy tuneage shows a strong Ô70s pop influence and can be compared favorably to Kevin Tihista. Both McGlynn and Tihista have listened to a lot of Harry Nilsson, I'd guess. I also hear a little bit of Gilbert O'Sullivan in some of the songs here. However, McGlynn's music is more serious than either of those artists. Indeed, there is also a kinship with artists like Elliot Smith.

So this record is steeped in tradition, but it is also very immediate and modern. This is aided by going beyond pure pop production and using a variety of keyboards, synthesizers and other instruments to provide specific textures. McGlynn sets the tone on the opener "Morning Prayer", with its drawn out sad melody in the verses, a jazz-based bridge and swaths of synthesizers, distant pianos and chimes wafting in like enveloping clouds. While I'd like to see McGlynn develop a bit more emotional range, he excels at music to softly sob to or, in the alternative, drown your sorrows with the alcoholic beverage of choice. One thing I don't want to change is the copious attention McGlynn gives to arrangements. Almost every song finds McGlynn adding things as the song goes on, not to show off, but to add to the power of the track. So songs that would be good with just McGlynn and his keyboards are made even better.

Amongst all the bittersweet gems, there is some pure sweetness, as "No Time" has a bouncy Ô60s soft pop feel that's not quite Brian Wilson, not quite Burt Bacharch, but quite good. This is McGlynn's third release, and it is excellent. Buy this, live with it, and if you like it as much as I do, work your way back to the first one.
- Fufkin

Ian McGlynn
Tomorrow's Taken
Bailey Park Records

The whole "singer-songwriter" thing is a tricky proposition for me, and most artists who fall into this category have their work cut out to win me over. Ian McGlynn manages this feat by creating very lush-sounding, keyboard-based pop songs. His closest contemporaries might be fellow keyboard-based acts like Keane and Aqualung, but what sets McGlynn apart is the strong 60s/70s influence that pervades the songs, which can recall Lennon/McCartney, Elton John, or, in the case of the track "No Time", early Chicago with Beach Boys harmonies. This retro bent is balanced by the production, which is very contemporary-sounding, thanks to producer Shane Tutmarc of local popsters Dolour. And tying it all together are McGlynn's earnest, weightless vocals and sad lyrics. Despite a misstep or two (the grating track "Carnivalism", for instance), this album gets on my good side.

-mike - Copacetic-Zine

Ian McGlynn
Tomorrow's Taken (2004)
4 Stars

Ah, the sweet sound of surprise. With all the music I have to sift through on a weekly basis, itÕs rare that something instantly moves me. But upon listening to the first track of Ian McGlynnÕs TomorrowÕs Taken, thatÕs what happened. McGlynn has a way of merging 80s synth pop, jazz and lounge music, and churning out melodic brilliance. There are influences of 80s artists like A-Ha, Erasure and New Order here, drudging up feelings of nostalgia for anyone who grew up during that era.

The album opens with a song called ÒMorning Prayer,Ó and the best way I can describe it is as a male version of Sade. ÒYou Might UnderstandÓ is dark yet poppy, and probably would have made McGlynn an MTV hero back in the day. ÒHow Did I Get Here?Ó is an upbeat tune reminiscent of the Beatles, and ÒCarnivalismÓ is inventive and yet still interesting, ala Radiohead. ÒBe My Guide,Ó like the opening track, is simply mesmerizing, and ÒTurn AwayÓ has a Beatles-meets-Oasis feel. And while all of this is going on, there is that distinct 80s pop flavor running throughout.

Forgive me for making this seem like a time warp, because I mean all of that as a sincere compliment. Too many of todayÕs artists are processed, chopped up and molded into perfect little portions of what the industry thinks the public wants. What they tend to forget is that you need good ingredients to make good food. Namely, itÕs talent that makes for good records, and Ian McGlynn has that kind of talent, both as a singer and as a songwriter. With TomorrowÕs Taken, he has taken those ingredients and cooked up something special.

-Mike Farley - Bullz-Eye

Ian McGlynn - Tomorrow's Taken
Bailey Park Records
4.5 Stars

I have started and stopped this review more times then I care to admit, it is almost a struggle for me to put into words how I feel about Tomorrow's Taken because it is one of those albums that blew me away.

The music is nothing innovative, nothing new, and yet it flows and spreads out, consuming my ears in the simple beauty that singer/songwriter Ian McGlynn has created. The entire album is a blast of fresh air for a genre that badly needs it.

There is no truly standout track on this near masterpiece, but "Be My Guide" stands as my favorite song, with a slowly building, immediate beat to it, and hushed vocals that seem to guide it on a narrow path to whatever end...it has everything needed to be a radio hit.

I don't have much more to say, or more appropriately, I don't have the words I need to say what I think about this album. The best I can do is call this a near perfect example of pop music. Read my interview with him, that might explain things a little better.

-Samuel Aaron
- Allalom - Broadcasting The Underground

Ian McGlynn
Tomorrow's Taken
Bailey Park Records

Fans of ambitiously composed, atmospheric pop might want to clear a little space on their shelves for Ian McGlynn. As a piano-playing graduate of Berklee College of Music with a jones for soaring choruses and rich chord patterns, Mr. McGlynn might not be the guy to set the indie world on fire.

His pop is wholesome and harmless, purely bourgeois woolgathering that would be best enjoyed with a sensibly priced Pinot Noir and a couple of Darvocets. But it also frequently transcends its innate niceness to become uplifting, invigorating, and something more than just pleasant.

Ian makes sure to mention the untouchables of this style of panavision pop (McCartney and Wilson, natch), but heÕs honest enough to namecheck at least one less-reputable artist as well (Chicago). He couldÕve gone on to include Sting or even John Mayer - without embarrassment mind you - or other songwriters with some forgivable pretensions and a taste for grand gestures (okay, Sting is not always so forgivable). Even long-suffering Jellyfish fans might find some respite from the candyless world left in the wake of that band's evaporation.

But really, TomorrowÕs Taken is quite good on its own, if not a total knockout. The record reaches its undeniable zenith in the form of ÒYou Might Understand,Ó a glorious little piano pounder with a tremulous synthesizer line adding that just-right touch that makes a song great. Though no other song on the disc comes as close to those delirious heights, thereÕs still plenty to recommend.

ÒThe ExceptionÓ is a sweet little smackdown with nice arrangements and a generously full production. The slightly bloated ÒHere For Me and Not For YouÓ is still a fine minor-key number full of swirling vocal effects and a nagging chorus. And ÒSouthard ParkÓ is a bittersweetly nostalgic song featuring rolling piano arpeggios. Though the record kind of drifts a bit toward the end, it doesnÕt overstay its welcome, and he at least has the sense to pack the best tunes up front.

The list of names that come to mind when listening to TomorrowÕs Taken is too long to give Ian McGlynn full credit for individuality, but it doesnÕt take away from the enjoyment of the disc. If McGlynn can stake out a little more of his own ground with the help of gems like ÒYou Might Understand,Ó heÕll stand in sharper contrast to the many artists carrying that same torch for the perfect melody.

-Chuck Zak - Delusions of Adequacy

Ian McGlynn: This Is The Sound
4 Stars

Every once in a while, an artist's music has this way of striking us in our musical pleasure center. Singer/songwriter/pianist Ian McGlynn's second full-length album, This Is the Sound, is likely going to have that effect on you if you are a fan of dreamy alt-pop. McGlynn's tenor and some of his melodies will remind you a bit of John Lennon, but his songwriting leans more towards a cross between Ben Folds and Aqualung, and the production on this effort (it's self-produced with help from songwriting partner John Mosloskie) bring the songs to life in powerful fashion. Much of McGlynn's material has a cool underground vibe, but some of the tracks on This Is the Sound stand out. In particular, "Night Driving" paints a vivid picture with its dark yet melodic feel, and "Memorial Day Parade" is as close to straight-up pop as McGlynn gets. And he takes things up a notch on the opening track "Play Dead," which is haunting, beautiful and able to stop you from whatever it is you were doing before you started listening. McGlynn's music has been placed in both independent and major motion pictures, and whether or not you have heard him before or think you may have, he's well worth seeking out. (LABEL: Bailey Park) - Eat Sleep Drink Music