Transport yourself to a tiny world where anything is possible, and ready yourself for Luke Haines’ I Sometimes Dream of Glue, one of the more intriguing concept albums to come out of this year, if not decade. Prepare your mind, because when you delve further into Glue Town and meet all of its 500 or so inhabitants, you’ll be transported into rockstar fame, then beaten into the ground by tiny footballers. This certainly isn’t an album that you can just listen to sporadically. No, it’s a start to end experience which sends you to the most bizarre parts of Luke Haines’ mind, and you’ll never look at Airfix models the same way again.

We enter the album with ‘Angry Man On Small Train’, Luke introducing us to the scaled down world presented in front of him through some softly spoken lyricism and almost fantasy-like melodies. Whether you’re on board with the dystopian concept of Glue Town or not, Luke’s narrative ability is spectacular and certainly puts you in the very midst of the scenes he creates, it’s just that for some of them, you’d rather not go there.

From here, the album shifts and slides its way along the journey through Glue Town as we get to meet its highly diverse characters. Luke expresses his desire to become a half inch tall rockstar which is met with a sharp, jagged guitar solo before returning to the melodic folk once more. Yet only moments later we’re introduced to a new personal favourite group, ‘The Subbuteo Lads’, a posse of rag tag footballers whose purpose is simply to cause carnage amongst the city. Apparently they’re definitely not the group you want to run into on a dark night!

The undoubted best thing about Luke Haines’ sound is that there is simply no way you can predict where the album is going to head next and, in this respect, I Sometimes Dream Of Glue is a pure rollercoaster of unpredictability. Sure the melodies presented may not be to everyone’s taste, but for anyone who is a fan of the Tolkien-styled sound and a willingness to become a tiny plastic person for an hour or so, this is the record for you. It’s interesting how, without focussing on the lyricism used, it would be incredibly easy for this record to be considered a relaxing piece of breezy folk. Yet, Luke has used this to his advantage, and thus the more you do focus on the lyrics, the more twisted and gruesome these seemingly harmless songs become.

This said, there are certain times in the album where you can’t help but cringe in response to the sheer barbarity of Luke’s words. ‘The Garden Gate’ produces an almost cult aura surrounding it, leaving truly terrifying imagery and an uncomfortable feel which will haunt the very fabric of your dreams. Meanwhile, for the record’s finale, ‘We Could Do It’, the less said, the better.

Is this a record which will redefine all prior notions of musicianship? No. Is it a great way to pass some time and transport yourself to an entirely new world as Luke’s softly spoken vocals help to vividly guide you through every tiny detail around you? Absolutely yes! It is truly admirable that Luke has been able to create an entirely new universe when no song extends over the three minute mark. Overall, I Sometimes Dream Of Glue is a terrific record of silly escapism if ever there was one. Whenever the day seems a little too dull, you’ll be thankful you’re not in a run in with those pesky Subbuteo lads again!

Ben Walker

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