This album explodes immediately into the vocals with no preamble, and it has me hooked from the get go. Acoustic strumming accompanies the singer's frank delivery of sad truths with lyrics that are bluntly poetic. It's simple and sad, and I love it so much that it kind of hurts my heart.
--AM New York
Wonderfully crafted and artistic without the self-consciousness that style often implies, Glorytellers is Farina's most broadly appealing release.
--Alternative Press
Farina has toiled for 15 years as one of the hardest-working indie rockers in the business, creating songs that unfold like time-lapse nature photography, slowly building to a rugged beauty...
--Washington City Paper
I am not a guitarist, but I couldn’t help but stair at Farina's fingers, and the wonderful sounds that he made come out of his guitar. This man is totally amazing, and I will try to see him play as many times as possible from now on.
--Critical Reviews Blog
In the end, the music of Glorytellers allows for a newfound freedom in Farina's musical legacy. A freedom learned by acknowledging the past instead of running far away from it. I think we call that "personal growth" in most circles...
--Dig BMX
Farina’s brilliant guitar technique can, as it did in Karate, still threaten to make these folk songs sound mannered. But luckily, he’s learned to let his sweet, rolling vocals shoulder the emotional load on these tracks. It is quite a feat to see a guy, particularly one who left his last band at the height of its powers, try something completely different, and totally succeed.
--Pop Matters
...everything simmers and occasionally even sizzles with wonderfully effective flavour. This record should be the soundtrack to every late-night road trip ever. But you get the feeling that playing to a few half-full rooms around the world and nestling in the hearts of a few thousand indie fans is all that Glorytellers would hope for anyway. Job done. And then some.
--New-Noise.net
In many circles, Geoff Farina is seen as a pioneer. As leader of the esteemed Karate, Farina used jazz as a template to create one of the most influential indie rock bands of the last 20 years. With Glorytellers...Farina moves into a quieter realm of innovative jazz invoking strong rustic American imagery. With influences as diverse as Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Jelly Roll Morton, Minutemen and Pere Ubu, the songs on Glorytellers’ debut may be difficult for the average listener to grasp on the first few listens. However, it is with each repeated listen that the songs’ strengths begin to shine, making this one of the best albums to come out of 2008 so far.
--Artvoice
