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".
Two Tabs of Mescaline
Glassjaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With pop sensibilities.
K-Q-E-D
"It's a tune that equals you."
I feel
Hallelujah I fail,
Bulemia I'm frail.
Hallelujah I fell,
And...
This is worship and this is tribute
Am I crumbling, ripping and failing?
Knowing you fit, you fit, you fit in...
And, and,
You fit in!
K-Q-E-E-E-E-E-E-D
"It's a tune that equals you."
I feel
Hallelujah, I fail,
Bulemia, I'm frail.
Hallelujah, I fell,
Salting the back of a snail.
And...
Am I worshipping or am I tributing?
Loving, crumbling, ripping, and failing.
My turkish prison is knowing I fit in.
And, and,
I fit in!
Feeding time,
An old friend of mine
At the leper zoo, yeah yeah
Que sera?
Erotic hurrah
With no rescue, girl.
Feeding time,
An old friend of mine
At the leper zoo, yeah yeah.
Que sera?
Erotic hurrah
It's cool.
Be cool, girl.
Sailor, Sailor
Sailor, Sailor
Sailor Scent
Sailor Sailor Scent Sailor Sailor Sailor Scent.
And...
worship, tribute
crumbling, ripping, and failing
Knowing you fit, you fit, you fit in...
And, and,
you fit in!
Feeding time,
An old friend of mine
At the leper zoo, yeah yeah.
Que sera?
Erotic hurrah
With no rescue, girl.
Feeding time,
An old friend of mine
At the leper zoo, yeah yeah.
Que sera?
Erotic hurrah
It's cool.
Be cool, girl.
Sailor Scent (x4)
Sailor, Sailor
The lyrics to Glassjaw's "Two Tabs of Mescaline" seem to be a sort of stream of consciousness, with various seemingly unrelated images and thoughts strung together. The first line, "I smell the sound of a growing gash" is a bit jarring and grotesque, but also intriguing. The following line, "With pop sensibilities" seems to suggest that the song will have a more accessible sound or hook. The next line is a bit cryptic, "K-Q-E-D" -- it's unclear what this could refer to, but perhaps it's some sort of computer code, or a reference to a radio station or TV channel. The repetition of "It's a tune that equals you" seems to suggest that the singer is trying to communicate something significant or personal.
The next lines delve more into personal struggles, "I feel/Hallelujah I fail/Bulemia I'm frail." The religious references are interesting here, with "Hallelujah" being a common praise word in Christianity, and "frailty" often being seen as a negative quality in the Christian worldview. The line "Salting the back of a snail" is a bit nonsensical, but could be seen as a continuation of the grotesque and unexpected imagery from the first line. The repeated lines of "worship and tribute" and "crumbling, ripping, and failing" seem to suggest some sort of existential struggle or questioning.
The latter half of the song brings back some of the earlier imagery, with references to a "leper zoo" and an "erotic hurrah." The final repetition of "Sailor Scent" is a bit mystifying, though it could possibly have something to do with the idea of being lost at sea or adrift in life. Ultimately, the song seems to be a sort of collage of images and thoughts that may not necessarily have a coherent narrative or message, but rather evoke certain feelings or ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
I smell the sound of a growing gash
With pop sensibilities.
I can detect a worsening wound which sounds like a radio-friendly pop song.
K-Q-E-D
"It's a tune that equals you."
I feel
Hallelujah I fail,
Bulemia I'm frail.
Hallelujah I fell,
Salting the back of a snail.
And...
This is worship and this is tribute
Am I crumbling, ripping and failing?
Knowing you fit, you fit, you fit in...
And, and,
You fit in!
The letters on this radio are code for a song that identifies with you. I'm struggling with mental illness, but there's something empowering about recognizing my own failures. Is liking this music a form of worship or tribute? Either way, it perfectly fits my emotions.
Feeding time,
An old friend of mine
At the leper zoo, yeah yeah
Que sera?
Erotic hurrah
With no rescue, girl.
I'm caught in a cycle of self-destructive behavior like feeding time at a place where outcasts gather. What will be, will be - I'm indulging in something that feels pleasurable but wrong even though there's no one to save me from myself.
Sailor, Sailor
Sailor, Sailor
Sailor Scent
Sailor Sailor Scent Sailor Sailor Sailor Scent.
And...
worship, tribute
crumbling, ripping, and failing
Knowing you fit, you fit, you fit in...
And, and,
you fit in!
The smell of the ocean conjures up memories of sailors and their travels. There's a lot of pain and vulnerability in my life, but this music makes me feel like I'm part of something. I'm worshiping or paying tribute to it, even if it means acknowledging my shortcomings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BECK, PALUMBO, Daryl Palumbo, Justin Beck
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind