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- October 2, 2021
Two rounds have passed in our special Glassetonbury, All-Stars bracket, and eight artists remain in the running for our prize package of a featured interview on GlasseFactory.com, a stream/fan Q&A hosted on Instagram Live, and more. They’ll be competing until Wednesday for a place in our Final Four and a permanent place in our Glassetonbury: Hall of Fame Spotify playlist.
Let’s take a look at our bracket:
Each matchup below will feature links to the songs, a brief description of each song and artist, and a poll for you to cast your vote. Polls will close on Wednesday, October 6th at 1:00 p.m. CST, and voting is limited to one vote per 24 hours. To prevent botting, we equip all of our polls with CAPTCHA protection, and while this is a necessary step to preserve the integrity of the tournament, sometimes this leads to problems when trying to vote on multiple polls at once. To ensure that your votes are properly counted, refresh the page before voting on a new poll, and make sure to click “Vote” again after you pass the CAPTCHA protection. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Campaign for your favorites in the comments and on social media, and don’t forget to tag and follow us on all platforms @glassefactory!
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“ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS.” – Arlana vs. “Boy Named Paul” – Juke of June
Arlana made it to the Elite Eight in Vol. 7 of Glassetonbury with her song “COMPLICATED.” In that time, she’s released her debut full-length album “SONGBIRD: UNE.” On a record full of interesting, complex neo-soul tracks, the standout for this writer is the reflective, delicate “ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS.” Full of smooth vocal runs, vivid lyrical imagery, and soothing instrumentation, this is not a song to miss. Meanwhile, Nashville’s Juke of June lost to cross-town artist Brian Elliot in the finals of Glassetonbury, Vol. 3, despite entering a barnburner of a song in “Turn Around.” This time, they trade feels for funk and groove with “Boy Named Paul.” Zach McCoy has a standout drum take, and the whole band jams on this dancy track that assuredly is a live-show hit.
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“Whistling Tree” – Haunted Like Human vs. “Kaleidoscopic Honeycomb” – The Uncle Steves
Haunted Like Human‘s “Soothsayer” made a run to the Final Four in our fourth volume of Glassetonbury, and the Nashville folk duo is back with one of their most important songs to date in “Whistling Tree.” Touching on heavy issues like homophobia, suicide, and forbidden love, it’s probably vocalist Dale Chapman‘s most heart-wrenching and personal song yet. Meanwhile, The Uncle Steves made the Final Four of our most recent Glassetonbury tournament with “We’re Gonna Be Alright Now,” a looping, hypnotic earworm that steadily grows. “Kaleidoscopic Honeycomb” comes from their 2021 instrumental album “Flora and Fauna Rule The World.” It’s a fun track inspired by the Sonoran Desert.
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“Cutting Ties” – Dan Kiernan vs. “My Place” – Goldpark
In the Elite Eight of Glassetonbury, Vol. 5, Dan Kiernan‘s “The Other Side” lost one of the most hard-fought battles in series history against Chase Stephen‘s “leaf szn,” but the pop vocalist gets another chance with his latest single “Cutting Ties.” While “The Other Side” was a slower ballad full of emotion and power, this captures a much more club-friendly and fun-loving energy. Imagine “Sucker” by The Jonas Brothers with an extra dose of Miami vibes. Meanwhile, Goldpark — the band that should have opened Bonnaroo this year before inclement weather forced the event to cancel — made an appearance in the Elite Eight of Vol. 6 with “Beautiful Desperation.” If the former song channeled their inner Springsteen, “My Place” channels The Band CAMINO with ambient guitars and a hook that you can’t help but want to sing along to.
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“LALA” – Sam Soto vs. “Tambourine Addict Who Plays the Drugs” – Fingerless
Sam Soto, the “Cherry Coke Soda” artist who made the Elite Eight in Vol. 3 with “Info Nympho,” returns with the soaring pop track “LALA.” It kind of reminds me of “Symphonies”-era Dan Black merging with early WALK THE MOON and is my favorite performance of Soto’s to date. Meanwhile, “Leaf Of Stone” by Fingerless was one of the standout tracks of Glassetonbury, Vol. 8, making it to the Elite Eight before being eliminated. Like “Leaf Of Stone,” “Tambourine Addict Who Plays The Drugs” is a slow-burn rock song with some elements of prog, psychedelic, and jam. It grows to a tremendous peak with cascading drums and immersive guitars.
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