On Repeat: Brazos – Phosphorescent Blues
Posted by: nick
Brazos is Andy Beaudoin (Drums), Martin Crane (Vocals, Guitar, etc), & Paul Price (Electric Bass) from Austin Texas which, incidentally, is where we first discovered the band, playing a SXSW showcase earlier this very year. Martin Crane writes the songs and we’re delighted to say he’s gotten together enough for an album that’s been more than 2 years in the making. Worth the wait?
For Fans Of: Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, Princeton.
In short – hell yes!
“There are no words, no words yet, just dogs barking at the silence” Martin Crane tells us during the opening line of the excellent ‘Tell’. But thankfully this is a record full of Martin Cranes’ deftly applied words, delivered in a cool, delicate but affecting voice. His music meanwhile weaves a vibrant, textured blanket of strummed guitars, pianos, and understated rhythms in which those words take refuge. The effect is nothing short of hypnotising.
The songs have an airiness to them too that gives the listener (well this one at least) a sense of well being. We’re glad that it’s taken this long for Brazos’ debut to come together. It feels like a record that has grown organically over time with versions of songs changing slightly (for the better) as months have gone by. It’s a refreshing approach in today’s ‘quick quick quick’ music world.
As a result the record fits together as an impressive whole and that whole is one of the best albums we’ve heard all year. The songs we’ve picked out for you are ‘The Observer’ which is adapted from the Adrienne Rich poem and the simply gorgeous ‘Avignon’ which makes the hares on the back of your neck stand up. Other album highlights include ‘Tell’, ‘Day Glo’, ‘Kid’ and ‘Downtown Boys’ to name a few.
Phosphorescent Blues has been self-released by the band through Autobus Records and is available now. Be warned however, to avoid catastrophic (!) errors take note that the track names for 8 and 9 were the wrong way round on the version we received. Track 8 should be ‘Downtown Boys’. Glad we cleared that up!
Over and out.
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mp3: Brazos – Avignon
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buy: Brazos – Phosphorescent Blues cd/lp / mp3 / iTunes
