Their sophomore album "Worship and Tribute" was released in 2002 on Warner Bros. Records. Although it received some MTV airtime, a Grammy nomination and a peak at #82 on the Billboard top 200, "Worship and Tribute" was a departure from the debut and was met with mixed reviews from fans. Since then, Glassjaw went on a long hiatus, releasing the digital-only EP "El Mark" in 2005, a release that consisted of three unused songs from the "Worship and Tribute" sessions.
In 2005, all members spare Palumbo and Beck left the band for reasons which remain unclear. It is supposed that they left involuntarily. Ex-drummer Durijah Lang and ex-bass player Manuel Ragoonanan Carrero were soon inducted back into the band, so there was once again a functional lineup for playing shows. Indeed, the new four-piece Glassjaw played a handful of shows in Summer 2005. A new album was apparently in the works for a release in 2007, but never surfaced.
Daryl Palumbo also fronts electronic pop-rock band Head Automatica, and ex-Glassjaw drummer Larry Gorman also played for them; however, Gorman is no longer a member of the band for unknown reasons.
Ex-guitarist Todd Weinstock now plays in the similarly-styled band Men, Women, & Children.
After a two-year hiatus, the band played three shows in 2005, two at the now-defunct The Downtown in Farmingdale, NY, with proceeds going to charity, and a spot on The Used's tour at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
After some mysterious updates on their website, the 2007 Glassjaw tour had gone and ended, already hitting up spots including yet another venue in Farmingdale, NY, playing 2 shows in one day at The Crazy Donkey.
In an interview with Palumbo in the July, 2006 issue of AP magazine, he stated that the band were in the process of writing and recording new material for the next album, which they hoped to release in 2007. Palumbo hinted that there could be a unifying concept behind the album. In November, 2007, in the first Glassjaw interview in years, Beck revealed they had written "about eleven good songs -- seven i love, and four to six half-baked ideas we need to finish".
In an interview with Kerrang!, Palumbo stated that the new album should be released by "The end of this year or early 2009...I hope." Details emerged from The Grixer in May, 2008 that the album was "awaiting vocals" and "should be wrapped up and completed in the coming months". In a May, 2008 interview with Verse One magazine, Beck said: "Right now I’d just be happy to finish up this record. I’m sure if it’s not a giant pile of shit, we’d love to play it live. Exact dates, plans, don’t know yet." In a June, 2008 interview conducted by Glassjaw.net, Beck stated, "As far as I am personally concerned, there will be a release well before the end of the year."
On August 6–8, 2010, the band released a 7" vinyl single for "All Good Junkies Go to Heaven" spraypainted green and pink on either side of the vinyl at the UK's Hevy Fest. This is the first official Glassjaw release since 2005's El Mark EP[/album. On August 8, 2010 via MerchDirect, "All Good Junkies Go To Heaven" became available for purchase. Within hours of availability, the vinyl had sold out. Shortly thereafter, in addition to the launch of the single, a "one-take" live video of their 2008 song "You Think You're (John Fucking Lennon)" was posted on the official Glassjaw website. On September 8, Glassjaw announced the release of another vinyl single for release on September 9, 2010 for the song "Jesus Glue", as well as a digital download for "All Good Junkies Go To Heaven" in various formats. On September 23, GlassJaw posted a video for the song, "Stars", a reworked version of "Star Above my Bed", a fan favorite. As they did with "Junkies" and "Jesus Glue," October 10 saw the release of yet another vinyl, "Natural Born Farmer" and the digital release of "Jesus Glue."
At 11:11AM on January 11, glassjaw.com began streaming a studio recording of "Gold". The website's background was changed to a live band photo with the text "coloring book, the extended play. available exclusively at venue. gratis." After the first concert on their 2011 tour, February 13, 2011, the new EP Coloring Book was given away free to each fan that attended the concert. Glassjaw played two shows in the UK, at the London HMV Forum (March 30) and the Cardiff Solus (March 31), with support from Napalm Death and also headlined Soundfest (June 10), playing alongside other artists such as Brother Ali, Del the Funky Homosapien and If He Dies He Dies. The band also played the Radio 1 / NME Stage at Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2011.
Glassjaw played their first and only scheduled show so far in 2012 in support of Rise Against's Endgame tour. It was the only show Glassjaw opened for them on the tour. A Day To Remember, The Menzingers, Architects, Touché Amoré, and Title Fight are also supporting selected dates. Glassjaw have been added to the Sonisphere festival line-up and will perform Worship & Tribute in its entirety during their set. However, it was announced on March 29, 2012 via Sonishere's website that the festival was cancelled due to issues in setting up the festival. As a result, the band have scheduled a date at New York's Irving Plaza to play the album in its entirety. The band have also been announced to be playing Hevy Festival 2012, alongside acts such as Converge, Rolo Tomassi and Will Haven. This will mark Glassjaw's second time playing at the festival, and the first since headlining it in 2010.
On December 1st, 2017, after 15 years, Glassjaw finally released their anticipated third LP, "Material Control".
Mu Empire
Glassjaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Euphoria's endearing.
And it's cold,
We might as well retire.
To the drawer where all used things resign.
Mr. shiver, in the river,
You were told.
I do, I do.
If we make it over the mountain.
Dressed in leather, red ball and vault attire;
The most ironic place to be is easy
Between my finger and the blade, right before I let the used resign.
Mr. shiver, in the river,
You were told.
You were sold.
I do, I do.
If we make it over the mountain.
You might lose the one you choose.
You might lose who won you times ten.
The opening lines of Glassjaw’s song Mu Empire seem to express a sense of relief communicated to the recipient of the message. The singer expresses his gratitude for being contacted whilst highlighting the charm of the state of euphoria, which could either refer to a drug or a mental state. However, it is followed by a depressing line which seems to reference the cold reality of life. The line “we might as well retire to the drawer where all used things resign” suggests a surrender to bleakness and loss of hope. Furthermore, the song has references to addiction which are highlighted in the lines “Mr. Shiver, in the river, you were told you were sold, I do, I do”. The line could be interpreted as an addiction to drugs or possibly an addiction to a way of life that is self-destructive.
The song’s lyrics seem to suggest philosophical contemplation around the duality of life. This is evident in the lines “The most ironic place to be is easy between my finger and the blade right before I let the used resign”. This line seems to hint at the singer’s struggle with the moral and existential implications of deciding who lives or dies. In a sense, the lines could be interpreted as the singer contemplating on his power to end lives and how it relates to defining morality.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm glad you sent a line.
It's comforting to hear from you.
Euphoria's endearing.
The feeling of intense happiness is appealing.
And it's cold,
The world is harsh and unforgiving.
We might as well retire.
It's time to give up and move on.
To the drawer where all used things resign.
Letting go of the past and putting it away for good.
Mr. shiver, in the river,
Someone is cold and alone in a dark place.
You were told.
Advice and warning were given, but ignored.
You were sold.
Tricked or persuaded into something that came at a cost.
I do, I do.
Agreement or support is given.
If we make it over the mountain.
If we overcome our challenges and obstacles.
Dressed in leather, red ball and vault attire;
A description of someone's attire.
The most ironic place to be is easy
The easiest thing to do is also the most unexpected.
Between my finger and the blade, right before I let the used resign.
At the moment of letting go, there is hesitation and uncertainty.
You might lose the one you choose.
There's a risk of losing what is important to you.
You might lose who won you times ten.
The loss could be even greater than anticipated.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BECK, PALUMBO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind