If it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in any particular field, then it's safe to say that Peter Gabriel has spent a good deal longer than that performing on stage. There's a reason that the one-time Genesis frontman is renowned in the industry for his onstage theatrics and performance: few, if any, artists [...]
Author: Brennan
Hi, I'm Brennan. Thanks for reading.
In Defense of…
Let me describe an album to you. It's not really a concept album but most of its tracks are thematically linked. It's divided into two separate sonic halves, the first based around simple, poppy instrumentation and the second around more complex compositions and arrangements. Between the two halves is a segue track that, during its [...]
Places and Numbers – Waking the Dead
A couple of years before fun. decided to light their drums on fire and make the programmed chart-topper that is Some Nights, another indie icon - Bobby Darling of Gatsbys American Dream fame - decided to fire up his laptop and record some songs as he trekked across the globe. In 2010, Darling released two EPs [...]
I the Mighty – Karma Never Sleeps
From the opening moments of Karma Never Sleeps, I the Mighty demands your attention. Album opener, 'The Dreamer,' comes to life as an atmospheric hum fades into a reverse snare hit, soon swallowed into a vacuumesque moment of silence, that is shattered by pounding instrumentals. The following freewheeling vocal line sets the tone for the entire [...]
The Mystery of Mr. Moon
Due presumably to some chemical imbalance or deep-seeded psychosomatic flaw, I have been known to occasionally become obsessed with individual songs. For reasons that are not immediately apparent, I will feel a strange compulsion to listen to the same track over and over and over again. This obsession inevitably burns itself out, but I'm always [...]
2011: Omissions
Back in February, I presented my comprehensive1 analysis of 2011's musical offerings and now, several months later, it occurs to me that a handful of discussion-worthy releases were unintentionally omitted. Three of those overlooked albums, however, I could not resist discussing, even if somewhat belatedly. In a zombie-esque move, Lydia returned (in an altered state) [...]
2011: One Man’s Take On the Year In Music
Acknowledging that we live an age of excess but also an age of brevity, I have this to say about the 2,000+ word article that lies ahead: it is too short. Alas that time has not been given to me to write a 10,000 word article concerning the intimate details of a dozen different albums. [...]
The Move
Due to my inability to satisfactorily convert 19,000 words and seventy-some odd footnotes to a format that would be palatable for this site, I've elected to make my cross-country novella, The Move, available as a readable PDF here. Enjoy!
Better Late Than Never: The Music of 2010
Due to incessant public outcry1 at my not having written a "Top Ten Albums of 2010" blog, I've decided to sack up and, at this temporally inappropriate juncture, put together a series of one-line reviews for the handful of releases from which I derived some enjoyment in 2010, a year whose musical offerings didn't quite [...]
Water & Dust
In his dream, the river is burning and Tauro is dying. He sees flames leaping up from the dry, rotten riverbed - a hellish vision of a flood season gone terribly wrong. Tapirs rush from the valley into the forests as fast as their feet can carry them. Our houses burn. An army of the [...]
Songs & Stories 