Margaret Glaspy - Echo The Diamond (LP) - Black Ice Vinyl Vinyl

There’s a particular spark that runs through Echo The Diamond that hits you right away, like catching a favourite band in a small room on a weeknight when they decide to play everything a notch louder. Margaret Glaspy’s third full‑length came out on 18 August 2023 via ATO Records, and it feels like a reset after the softer, synth‑brushed corners of Devotion. Here she leans back into the guitar, with thorny riffs and quicksilver leads framing songs that are concise and no‑nonsense, yet still warm enough to keep you leaning in.

A big part of that comes from the players. Glaspy co‑produced the album with guitarist Julian Lage, and the band she assembled brings serious character. Dave King, best known for The Bad Plus, sits at the kit with that boxer’s jab he’s famous for, while Chris Morrissey holds the low end with an elastic, song‑first sensibility. The chemistry sounds lived in. You can hear it in the way King side‑eyes a groove or how Morrissey nudges a chord change, and in the way Glaspy’s guitar cuts through with a tone that’s crunchy but never harsh. It’s the sort of interplay that makes you imagine a red light on in the studio and everyone playing at once.

“Act Natural” was the first taste and it still lands like a mission statement. The riff leans forward, Glaspy’s vocal curls with a mix of grit and sweetness, and the band snaps into place. “Irish Goodbye” works a different angle, all sly hooks and lyrical wit, the kind of track that creeps up on you and then refuses to leave. “Get Back” rides a twitchy pulse and lets the guitar do most of the talking. None of it feels dressed up. The songs are short, punchy, and cut to the bone, which suits her writing. Glaspy’s always had a knack for framing an emotional knot with just a few lines, and here the lines feel even sharper because the band is right there, answering back.

Press around release time picked up on this return to a more immediate sound. Pitchfork and Stereogum both noted the raw, live feel and how the trio format puts the focus squarely on her voice and guitar. That’s exactly how it plays at home. Turn the Echo The Diamond vinyl up and it comes across like a set in a tight club, amps humming, room air moving. The production stays out of the way and lets transients do their work. You catch little details too, like the way a pick grazes a string or a cymbal blooms after a fill, which is catnip if you’re the sort of person who reads deadwax or debates pickup windings at a Melbourne record store.

Lyrically, the album balances steel and kindness. There’s a plainspoken streak that runs through her work, but she avoids cleverness for its own sake. When she sings about boundaries, desire, or the edge between patience and urgency, it feels grounded in actual life, not diary fog. That directness lines up with what she’s said in interviews about the title, which she’s framed as an idea about chasing clarity and letting what’s essential ring out. You can hear that ethos in the arrangements. Solos are brief. Choruses earn their keep. The rhythm section stays agile but never showy.

What I love most is the feel. It doesn’t try to bowl you over with sheer volume or studio magic. It moves like a band that trusts the songs and each other. King’s touch is a highlight. Fans who only know him from head‑spinning jazz contexts might be surprised at how song‑serving he is here, yet you still get those little syncopations and shadings that make the grooves twitch. Morrissey threads melody through the low end without stepping on the guitars. And Glaspy’s tone has that slightly ragged edge that makes you want to reach for your own instrument and have a go.

If you’re crate‑digging for Margaret Glaspy vinyl, this one’s a no‑brainer, and it pairs nicely with Emotions and Math if you’re building out Margaret Glaspy albums on vinyl. The sequencing flatters repeated plays, and the low‑end punch on the LP is satisfying without getting muddy. It’s the sort of record that turns casual fans into lifers, the kind you recommend to a mate who asks what modern guitar records still feel alive. If you’re looking to buy Margaret Glaspy records online, keep an eye on local shops that ship fast across the country. Plenty of vinyl records Australia retailers have carried ATO pressings, and if you’re in Victoria, your favourite Melbourne record store might have a copy tucked in the staff picks right now.

Echo The Diamond doesn’t try to reinvent her. It just sharpens the focus and lets a cracking band do what it does best. That’s more than enough.