PETER LACEY ~ THRU A GLASS BRIGHTLY

PETER LACEY is a very prolific songwriter who has three albums out on Pink Hedgehog. The first of these is Thru A Glass Brightly, an album of sophisticated chamber pop/sunshine pop with the sort of vocal harmonies and fully textured arrangements that have attracted frequent comparisons to BRIAN WILSON/THE BEACH BOYS. Peter has a very professional singing voice with vibrato in all the right places; a vocal style that's rarely heard in the underground. 'The Sparkle Room' is excellent harmony pop that diverges into a psychedelic instrumental near the end. 'Ellen Street' is a very original kind of orchestral pop with evocative lyrics. 'The Tower' is a very moving acapella song with an original atmosphere. Someone with lesser creativity could make music in this style and it would just sound like dull 'easy listening' music; music with this degree of sophistication often ends up sounding bland. But this is definitely not the case with PETER LACEY, who is a very talented and creative artist. Thru A Glass Brightly is a highly impressive album, brimming with maturity and intelligence.

Reviewed in Aquamarine by Kim Harten, UK

Burgess Hill's own "Beach Boy" PETER LACEY makes a triumphant return to the pop page this week. Peter, whose album Beam! was a wonder, conjuring up the sound of the golden age of THE BEACH BOYS, is awaiting the imminent release of his next offering. But here we give his current release, Thru A Glass Brightly, a spin. And the good news is it more than lives up to the surf-and-sun standard of Beam! The 12 track CD, written, produced and performed by Peter, again with help from Jon Fielder and the Fielder Fiddlers, is another joy. It looks the business, packaged in a totally pro sleeve showing a stained glass window. The full lyrics are carried in the in-lay along with further art work by Kathy Baker and Hester Smith. But in a year which has seen his inspiration BRIAN WILSON tour Britain performing his masterpiece album, Pet Sounds, and play at the Queen's Buckingham Palace Jubilee party, it is only fitting that Peter shines brightest in reflecting the great man's gift in his own songs.

Thru A Glass Brightly again evokes the golden sands of California and the golden voices of THE BEACH BOYS. Peter once again mixes deep, swirling and mesmerising melodies with dashes of psychedelia and pop, all anchored by his mellow harmonies. There is lots to be said of all 12 tracks. Highlights include the orchestral strings opening of 'Ellen Street', the dreamy easy-listening instrumental 'Malandro' and more upbeat and bassy instrumental 'Sun Street', and mellow and echoey 'Kathy In Chiaroscuro'. The pop page's favourites though are the gentle, rolling opening title track with its poetic lyrics, the sparky late-60s-tinged A-side contender, 'Inspiration', and the lonely, achingly-good 'Sparkle Room', which conjures up THE BEACH BOYS' Surf's Up album and ends with a surprise but all-too-short psychedelic flourish of backwards effects. The album boasts great cohesion and leaves THE BEACH BOYS-loving listener calling for more. Snap up a copy of Thru A Glass Brightly on Pink Hedgehog Records at Wholesale Recordings, Lower Church Road, Burgess Hill.

Reviewed in The Leader by Richard Worley

I thought I'd better get a move on with this album because I'd recently read a review of it in the Record Collector, which was a cracking one. Not to be outdone, they're right! This is an amazingly clear, warm and honest collection of songs from PETER LACEY. To be honest, for a tiny label like PH, this is a true work of art. The sleeve design is pretty tasty, featuring the lyrics (of which Lacey is no stranger to outstanding beauty and poetic exactness), and it's all credit to the lot of 'em. There's twelve tracks in all, kicking off with the title track. What I especially enjoyed about the collection of songs is the range of styles used. 'The Sparkle Room' is almost BEACH BOYS, and a really well effected melancholy piano. Other songs, such as 'Sun Street', 'Fools And Kings', 'Cloud Gathering' and 'The So Long Song' are worthy of much more praise than this humble mag can offer. Mind you, it took GORDON HASKELL several albums before he got to where he is now. PETER LACEY deserves as much, and so does Pink Hedgehog for recognising the talent on here. Fully recommended.

Reviewed in Modern Dance by Dave W Hughes, UK

PETER LACEY transports us back to a world where the dawning of a new technological age inspired the recording of seminal works like THE BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds. Songs like ‘The Sparkle Room’ and ‘Fools And Kings’ are achingly poignant and haunting, while ‘Inspiration’ would be globally applauded had it been written and sung by STEVIE WONDER. There is also variety and experimentation within the classic song structures - the monastic overtones of 'The Tower', the evocative imagery of ‘White World (Without Sound)’ with it's all too short electric guitar break, the unexpected ending of ‘The Sparkle Room’ and the poetic ‘Cloud Gathering’ on which Jon Fielder adds synth and timpani. My only regret about this album is that some of the pieces would have benefited from more instrumental work and some of the ideas like the CAMEL like synth line on ‘Sun Street’ don’t quite make the impact it could have. But then again we must remember that Peter plays virtually everything himself (never an easy task!) and sings beautifully. His songs will appear in your head without warning and reappear, an altogether pleasant experience I can assure you! Thru A Glass Brightly is one of the best releases of 2001 and comes highly recommended.

Reviewed in Zeitgeist by Phil Jackson, UK

From the depths of a loft studio in Sussex, PETER LACEY's sophomore album sees him building on the modest success of his debut, 2000's Beam!... Brightly is a collection of seductive, gossamer-light melodies evocative of the summer after the summer of love. His twin inspirations seem to be the English pastoralism of XTC and the relentless optimism of THE BEACH BOYS post Pet Sounds. He combines the two with ridiculous ease, and though his voice cannot always carry the weight the songs demand, the warmth and complexity of his writing carries him through such minor difficulties. The comparisons are obvious: his multi-tracked vocal arrangements recall the work of BRIAN WILSON while his intimate approach echoes that of CLIFFORD T. WARD. The album is elevated above mere homage by his inventiveness and willingness to spread his own wings. 'Inspiration' for instance unfolds like a collaboration between Talking Book era STEVIE WONDER and XTC circa English Settlement. Languorous and reflective without ever being lazy, it's the perfect accompaniment to a long lie-in on a Sunday morning.

Reviewed at Spydaradio by Alan Downes

One of 2001's hidden treasure troves, this gorgeous album by Brit PETER LACEY brings together the affecting chamber pop touches of BRIAN WILSON's Pet Sounds era. Also, evident, are ANDY PARTRIDGE's recent dalliances with orchestral conceits (see Apple Venus Part I) and ELVIS COSTELLO's collaborations with BURT BACHARACH. There is remarkable consistency in the repertoire that will amaze and please. One for the heart.

Reviewed in The Power Of Pop by Kevin M Mathews, Singapore

Halfway through listening to PETER LACEY's sophomore triumph Thru A Glass Brightly, I realised exactly what Lacey was successfully trying to accomplish. He traverses the ineffable terrain of our emotions where joy (the kind that brings us to tears) borders melancholy (the kind which allows us to still see beauty in sad things); thus it is wholly appropriate that for the cover Lacey has picked the stained-glass image of a ship setting sale. The title song is anthemic, indicating Lacey's true quest. How delightful to discover that apparently there was a greater budget at Lacey's disposal to bring his vocals and instruments into much more appealing clarity. Let it be known that Thru A Glass Brightly is of a completely different hue than it's predecessor [Beam!, discussed in Crawdaddy 24]. No further proof is required than the second track 'Inspiration'. Buoyant hand claps serve as percussion, and it's as if Lacey has taken the ingredients of Motown (think early STEVIE WONDER) and given them a Beatlesque spin.

This is a work full of charms. Like 'Ellen Street' with it's stringed backing that compliments the elegiac croons. To anyone who has watched a place they love become ravaged by progress, Lacey has written a hymn of tender mourning. Consider the sophistication of the instrumental 'Malandro', with bubbly cocktail bounce undercut by searing electric guitar, as the marriage of joy and melancholy is reintroduced. 'The Tower' evokes Gregorian monks, misty barren landscapes, and leering prose. Another instrumental ('Sun Street') brings a smile to the face with it's perky stop-start, a gentle bop that defies anyone to not snap their fingers. PETER LACEY represents a small vanguard of emerging musicians who can be considered actual craftsmen - that is, those who make a unified statement in which the musical and lyrical content are equally and artfully balanced. But that's the technical explanation of how deft he is. Rather, let me end this by referring to the CD's last track, 'The So Long Song': "So what's to do if paper boats don't sail/As all your dreams they'll drift away to sea." Because Lacey has taken the time to steer his ship into sometimes ruffled waters along with the expected placid oceans, I appreciate this work all the more. It's the honesty of this figurative Captain that makes me think he's on the right course; it's his earnestness that makes me look forward to Lacey's next voyage.

Reviewed for Crawdaddy by John Lane, USA

Spirit of Seventies BEACH BOYS haunts one man and his portastudio in Sussex... Appearing like a lost echo from the dense production haze of the Seventies LA sound, PETER LACEY's second album once again proves him to be a singer-songwriter of great scope and vision, capable of complex melodic chamber pop. Completed virtually unaided, LACEY's piano and vocals are multitracked to resemble a heavenly, BRIAN WILSON-obsessed host. The album's spiritually uplifting lyrics and sophisticated harmonic structures raise it above accusations of plagiarism, making this a seductive and heart-warming album.

Reviewed for Uncut by Paul Johnson, UK

Haunting piano based melancholy from a man with an ERIC CARMEN-ish voice and a yen for melodies in the key of BRIAN WILSON, post-Pet Sounds. The production is decidedly lo to mid-fi, which seems unusual for a take on the California pop sound. Though LACEY plays a lot of keyboards on the record, and the piano is often at the center of his tunes, the recording often places the vocals well in the forefront, giving the recording a spartan nature that is well tailored to the moods of the songs. Though some of the melodies are warm and inviting, the disc as a whole captures a pensive state, as if LACEY, in his tales of life and love, is working out his emotions. While some folks may immediately grasp his muse, it took me a couple more listens, but then the work hit me hard. While a few songs are not fully realized, there is some subtle brilliance at work. At times, LACEY seems to be finding a new wrinkle in the BRIAN WILSON template, with a stately tone reminiscent of some of JOHN CALE's mid-'70s WILSON-inspired work. Take 'Ellen Street', with a string arrangement that is kind of Paris 1919 and literate lyrics ruing the destruction of a place that lives on in memory: "Gone the roll of wooden wheels/the shout for any old iron/and the man fearing aeroplane engine overhead." The title cut also has a ruminating quality - whereas WILSON's music is white boy gospel celebration, LACEY uses the same musical tools to cast a more contemplative aspect.

Which isn't to say this is a morose disc. 'Inspiration' is appropriately uplifting, with a simple ascending melody. A languid number with a STEVIE WONDERish harmonica part, 'Kathy in Chiaroscuro' has a slight tropical rhythm with pleading chords and distant backing vocals, with a keyboard interlude at the end that has traces of LINDSAY BUCKINGHAM's 'Trouble'. Still, most of the disc is occupied by the more pensive tunes. Other quiet grabbers include 'Fools & Kings' and 'The Sparkle Room'. For some, the lower production standard may be a turn off. Though this music is investigating territory similar to HIGH LLAMAS and THE PEARLFISHERS, some may find the less slick sounds here distracting. As I noted at the beginning, I think that sometimes the nature of the recording is entirely appropriate for the overall tone of the tunes. But I will readily concede that LACEY would benefit from a better recording. Perhaps in the future he will be able to display his obvious talents in a higher tech setting. LACEY is an intriguing talent, nonetheless.

Reviewed in Fufkin by Mike Bennett, USA

Following the critical acclaim of his debut album, Beam!, PETER LACEY returns with another collection of elegantly-crafted songs that reveal his reference points without copying them. After a distinctly Motown-esque feel to 'Inspiration', he serves up a gentle evocation of late-60's BRIAN WILSON at his best, with 'The Sparkle Room'. WILSON tones are also obvious in the instrumental 'Sun Street', where the whole orchestration and bass recall Pet Sounds. The album's key comes with the gentle picture-book imagery of the romantic 'Fools And Kings', and 'The So Long Song', where a simple, gorgeous melody beautifully closes the album like the end-papers of a classic novel. BEACH BOYS fans will love it, as will anyone who still appreciates crafted melodies and harmonies.

Reviewed for Record Collector by Kingsley Abbott, UK

Many of you will have already discovered Peter's acclaimed debut, Beam!, which is suffused with deep tranquil textures, ethereal harmonies, dense melancholy and BEACH BOYS/BRIAN WILSON influences, was welcomed as a rare treasure by those who discovered it. Well, Peter has not been idle since and has been busy polishing a new gem. Thru A Glass Brightly, which now sees light of day. So, put up your feet, turn up the volume (and the bass) and turn down the lights...

Thru A Glass Brightly, track by track:-

The short, opening, title track, a relaxed, dreamy simple piece with a beautiful melody and lush backing vocals sets the mood for the album, as you settle down for a real aural treat. Next up, 'Inspiration', a more upbeat song with a Motown/STEVIE WONDER feel to it, is followed by one of the highlight tracks, 'The Sparkle Room'. Starting out with a simple voice and piano, the song gently builds with BEACH BOYSesque backing vocals, while you feel yourself drawn, in slow motion, inside a blue/green crystal wave which then bursts with a crashing instrumental ending. 'Ellen Street', which follows, is very different in its feel and textures to any other track on the album. Set against pulsing orchestral instrumentation, with changing time signatures, in almost BRODSKY QUARTET/DAVID ACKLES territory the song laments the loss of a harsh but fondly remembered wartime community and townscape. The first instrumental track on the album, 'Malandro', is a mid paced tune with a gorgeous melody and deceptively simple instrumentaion, featuring a delicious bassline and a STEELY DAN/SANTANA guitar solo. A mysterious story, 'The Tower' is next, sung a capella in a choral/plainsong arrangement. The relaxed mood is continued on the next track 'Kathy In Chiaroscuro'. A rewarding song with dreamy harmonies, this again has a touch of STEVIE WONDER about it. The lovely melody settles down into a real groove at the end and finished just a touch too soon.

One of my favourites follows, 'White World (Without Sound)'. Some of Peter's purest vocals are featured on this track, which transports the listener into that magical time when snow covers the earth. There is a rich tapestry of sounds here, and it is one of the most atmospheric on the album. A wonderful song, well executed. The instrumental, 'Sun Street', is reminiscent of those bouncy BRIAN WILSON instrumental tracks that leave you wondering what lead vocal and backing vocals he had in mind as a counterpoint to the instruments. 'Fools And Kings' is another favourite - a slow and well realised song with yearning vocals, delicious background harmonies and simple instrumentation. The peaceful introduction to the next song 'Cloud Gathering' belies the arrival of the wind that disturbs the windchimes into a dissonant storm and cleansing rain, that moves on again as calm descends once more.

The album ends with 'The So Long Song', another song reminiscent of early 70's BEACH BOYS, broken into two distinct sections which interweave with eachother, and features another one of those mesmerising fades that should go on for just that little bit longer. We have from Peter another album of superbly crafted mood music, with his lush voice layered over some fine melodies. His thoughtful lyrics also conjure up imaginative wordscapes, to complement the soundscapes he has lovingly created. Indeed many of the lyrics bear scrutiny as evocative poems in their own right. For those who have heard Beam! you will not be disappointed with the next chapter in Peter's journey. For those who have not yet encountered Peter's music, start here.

Reviewed for Beach Boys Britain by Chris Branch, UK

It's not often that an artist's second album is much of a step forward from their first in terms of style or content. Two years after the release of his first album, PETER LACEY has sprung a surprise on all his fans by not revisiting Beam!. Indeed... this particular artist has moved on! Thru A Glass Brightly is (to these ears) a far more cohesive, deeper and melodic work than his first solo album. Beam! was no slouch in that department either, as Peter's growing army of fans will testify. The twelve songs that make up Thru A Glass Brightly grab the heartstrings in a manner that Beam! merely hinted at. If Beam! was an infant, not quite ready to experience life's rich tapestry; then Thru A Glass Brightly is the fully formed adult that has taken on board all that life has to offer and reflects this in the world weary, melancholic nature and delivery of the songs. I personally believe it's a triumph! I'm sure you will think so too.

The album kicks off with the title track: 'Thru A Glass Brightly'. It's interesting to note that Peter didn't pick the most obvious word "Darkly" in the album title, but rather; chose the more optimistic sounding "Brightly". In my humble opinion, this puts a new slant on the atmosphere of the record. Melancholia with optimism! A haunting piano/vocal driven song, this has backing vocals THE BEACH BOYS would be proud of! The occasional flute counterpoints Peter's voice and the piano perfectly. Definitely a good opener for the album. The length of this song is perfect also! It doesn't overstay its welcome, merely leaves the listener wanting to hear more! Understatement is a PETER LACEY trademark, after all. 'Inspiration' follows next with an intro that echoes both Motown (in the handclaps) coming from the right and a keyboard and bass from the left. This track sounds very much like THE BEACH BOYS circa their Friends period. Backing choral vocals are very much in evidence and the full, fat sounding bass is very satisfying. Does Peter do all those vocals himself, I wonder? They blend together so very well. Peter's lead vocal has also matured from the Beam! days. He now sounds much more confident and I believe he's found his vocal style. The track fades to a close, leaving a beautiful, short vocal choral that shifts subtly from left to right.

Next up is the sublime 'The Sparkle Room'. This track is Peter at his vocally - aching best and is a personal favourite of mine. That lovely fat sounding bass is still there, but this time it's augmented by sparse drums and more (understated, of course) harmonies! Unusually, as you feel the song is about to end; Peter goes into a fantastic BEATLES/SANTANA musical passage that works very well. Full of backward guitar and Latin drums. It sooooo works! I love the gated snare, Peter. It sounds nothing like Beam! and is all the better for it. Peter takes the music on an orchestral slant as the next track; 'Ellen Street' begins. All sweeping cellos and violins, the only other instrument is Peter's voice. I won't labour too much on the words, but suffice to say; it tells a tale of love's labours lost. At least... that's my interpretation of it! That's the wonderful thing about the way he chooses his words. They leave the listener to interpret the song in their own way. Most couplets usually do have two meanings in Peter's songs. The listener has to work hard to figure out the meaning. That's the pleasure of becoming addicted to his music... There's always more to discover and repeated listening always bare more fruit.

'Malandro' is the first of two instrumentals' on Thru A Glass Brightly. It has the feel of 'Pet Sounds' and for me, one of the best parts is the distorted guitar that appears briefly and the (I think) marimba which is subtly used throughout the track. This song is pure class through and through! Peter doesn't need to sing at all on this track... The music speaks for itself. Just what is 'Malandro' anyhow? A place... An amalgamation of two names? It's that PETER LACEY thing again... Let the listener decide. The mirror image of 'Malandro' is next up. 'The Tower' is a vocal only exercise with beautiful voices panned hard left and right channel with the lead vocal stage centre. BRIAN WILSON would be very proud of this song as 'The Tower' has the feeling (if not the sound) of 'Prayer' from his Smile album. It's no surprise that Peter is a BEACH BOYS fan.

'Kathy In Chiaroscuro' follows swiftly. A soft, mid paced song to shut your eyes and drift away to. I could be lying in a Cornish cove listening to this. A song to the mysterious Kathy... Maybe a follow up to Beam!'s 'Kathleen'? Anyhow, Peter's command of the vocal and instrumentation on this track is superb. There's a wonderful harmonica playing in the back ground near the end of the track and it soo reminded me of prime time STEVIE WONDER! It's that Motown connection again, Peter! Talking of connections... Is that a backward cymbal I hear being struck at the beginning of the song? Reminds me of 'Never Learn Not To Love'. THE BEACH BOYS version, that is! I'll go on record as saying that the next track, 'White World (Without Sound)'; is by far one of the best songs Peter has ever recorded. This track has the most perfect harmony vocal used as an effect that I've heard in a PETER LACEY song. Sooo atmospheric! The lead vocal is doubled on parts of the track and really hits you head on. The rest of the track works for me too. There is subtle use of acoustic guitar and a wonderful distorted electric guitar that gives a quick burst and then gone as quick as it appeared. I think this track works for me as Peter hasn't jammed it full of studio tricks. Indeed... It's what he's left out rather than kept in that make it so special! Reverse "Wall Of Sound" anyone?

'Sun Street' is the second instrumental song on Thru A Glass Brightly. I'll bet my life that there was a full vocal to this song! Am I right, Peter? Listening hard to the mix, I'm wondering how many takes it took to get that snare drum pattern just right! Triplets, indeed! The ending is beautiful and features Peter singing 'Sun Street' over and over to a backing track of children's voices with the surf crashing in the distance. Next up is 'Fools & Kings'. Another song that features not a lot of instrumentation, but what is there works perfectly. Bass, piano, drums and vocals and that's your lot! Some good harmony vocal singing makes this song another standout track for me. Just where does Peter get his inspiration from, that's what I'd like to know? Wonderful!

I can imagine 'Cloud Gathering' would make a great concert opener. It starts with a trademark harmony vocal from Peter with soft acoustic guitar underneath before a double keyboard riff comes in with synth and drums to the foreground. Peter even makes use of the sound of rainfall and he's beautifully panned it in the mix. Not a lot of words to this song, but the instrumentation more than makes up for this. Another winner, Pete! And so the album closes with 'The So Long Song'. An optimistic song, but you'll have to decipher Peters' lyrics yourselves (hehehe). It wouldn't surprise me at all if Pink Hedgehog pressed copies of this track as a sampler for the album. It's a perfect song to float Thru A Glass Brightly too and is the song that I would choose for the uninitiated listener to start their journey into the world of PETER LACEY! Peter! You have made a blinder of a second album! Congratulations!

Reviewed for Add Some Music by Ken Worthing, UK

On his debut solo effort, PETER LACEY did not have in his possession an unlimited recording budget. He had neither exotic orchestration nor a pick of the session-musician litter to make manifest the pop sophistication that sprang from his imagination. Yet Lacey proved himself an artist with an adroit and exquisite musical vision on the superb Beam!, an album that aspired to and frequently managed to approach the rarified, sophisticated oxygen inhaled by admitted inspirations such as BRIAN WILSON and BURT BACHARACH. Even if the music was forced to reveal itself through the fog of lo-fi recording techniques, few artists, including would-be BEACH BOYS like SEAN O'HAGAN and ROBERT SCHNEIDER, have ever come so near to equaling the gravitas (as opposed to the whimsy) of a Wilsonian melody or a Bacharachian turn of musical phrase.

Those techniques remain essentially the same on Lacey's second full-length, a piece of music that sparkles even more and another work teeming with a bounty of pop/rock ideas. Glorious, serpentine melodies and slowly blooming harmonies billow from the gauzy depths of Thru A Glass Brightly. For those expecting it, though, the album is certainly not Beam! volume two, and it is all the better for that fact. Thru A Glass Brightly has more tension, more texture (even if it comes mainly by way of synthesizer), and an altogether greater musical scope and vision. It would have been easy to again take borrowed muses and follow them to their logical conclusions, but whereas Beam! was very much an extension of certain legacies, Glass discovers a glorious island that is entirely of Lacey's own creation and claiming.

The music casts off the cloak of Wilson (although certain songs - 'Inspiration' and the instrumental 'Sun Street', specifically - still bear that significant influence) while filtering its sound world through XTC and the '80s new romantics as well as appropriating some of the dense production haze of the '70s L.A. sound. Going even beyond those artists and eras, though, it is its own translucent and laconic daydream, shedding Beam!'s air of innocence (the ominous 'Cloud Gathering', for instance) while growing much more probing ('The Tower' has an almost-sacred impact, with its motet-worthy harmonies) and much more dramatically satisfying as a whole. Absorbing Thru A Glass Brightly is like getting a private glimpse through a kaleidoscope - indeed, the title suggests as much - where a private world materializes for the listener's benefit alone.

Reviewed in All Music Guide by Stanton Swihart, USA

While PETER LACEY’s first album, Beam! was a great album, his second album Thru A Glass Brightly excels on a different level. Sure, there are those trademark PETER LACEY melodies and familiar, textured rhythms. The sometimes-oblique lyrics that give you a different meaning every time you hear the songs. But, TAGB presents a PETER LACEY that is more self-assured and the whole album resonates confidence. Peter’s voice seems more forward this time around. Very cool harmonies throughout that are slightly reminiscent of 10CC. Otherwise, Peter comes into his own on this album and his influences are less direct this time around. You can’t pick a song on this CD and say, that has a McCARTNEY sound, or that sounds like BRIAN WILSON influence. Peter’s mastery of melody really shines on this album and becomes his own sound. 'Inspiration' is the example of his seemingly effortless delivery of pure pop ecstasy.

And then there are the unexpected surprises on this album. 'The Sparkle Room' starts with a grand piano, later breaking into psychedelia complete with backwards instruments! As with Beam!, Peter explores the acappela song, but this time on 'The Tower', he takes an almost monk-like chant approach. Multi-instrumentalist Peter paints his sound masterpiece with carefully chosen, effective instruments. Throughout the album, the listener is taken on a journey with some instruments that are easily identified and some that make you wonder. The most startling song on the album is 'Cloud Gathering' - an experimental, sound potpourri which starts with echo drenched harmonies. A music box slowly fades in; tones and rhythms enter and exit. I could devote a whole essay to this album, dissecting and analyzing it. But, the beauty of Peter’s music is that it really does give you something different each time you hear it. Mr Lacey has achieved what many fail on their sophomore album. Instead of a Beam!, Part II, he has delivered an artistic progression. Truly stunning!

Reviewed in Ear Candy by Ronnie Dannelley, USA

PETER LACEY's Thru a Glass Brightly is a pop album with some obvious comparison points. While I hate repeating the influences mentioned by the promotional materials for an album because I feel like it seems like I'm just repeating them, the two influences here are absolutely unmistakable: BRIAN WILSON and BURT BACHARACH. LACEY sings a lot like WILSON, and loads his songs with pretty melodies and harmonies that take a lot from the BEACH BOYS. He has the sense for melody that BACHARACH has, too. Yet I should admit to you that while I like BACHARACH as a songwriter, as a singer he always strikes a wrong chord with me.

To put it plainly, his style of emoting seems just plain cheesy to me. Therein lies my dilemma with Thru a Glass Brightly - the album has melodies I can't get out of my head and musical passages I find gorgeous, but is also has a certain slickness of sound (a very 80s, casio and drum-machine pop sound) that I'm a bit uneasy about, and is at times in the same almost-sappy place as BACHARACH. The best moments for me are when LACEY plays in the shadows as much as the brightness, when he deals with more ambiguous feelings and words. There's also some moments - like the acapella 'The Tower' - when he really hits the emotional target he's going for, when he touches the part of my heart that he seems to be continually in pursuit of.

Reviewed in Erasing Clouds by Dave Heaton, USA