MIDDLE BROTHER: MIDDLE BROTHER
[rating:4]
Middle Brother: Middle Brother
Label: Partisan Records
Release date: March 1, 2011
Middle Brother is the new kid on the exploding and frankly over saturated new-Americana block. With three singer songwriters from three burgeoning bands that play with modern folk-rock styles, this is something of a mini-indie-super-group, not unlike their more famous brethren in Monsters of Folk. John McCauley (Deer Tick), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), and Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) joined forces for an unannounced show at last year’s SXSW festival to showcase their one rehearsal of the album’s songs. A musical baby was born.
Their self titled debut mixes and matches each writer’s distinct style with an alluring spirit of collaboration to weave a warm and intoxicating blanket of hangover blues, wicked self-loathing, and ramshackle celebration. No voice dominates as each songwriter recognizes the greater good lies within the song. Lyrically, the boys are weary and broken hearted but find a resolute wish inside their mourning. By blending the tragic and the hopeful, Middle Brother paints with heartfelt brushstrokes as all three songwriters pick up the pieces of their shattered selves filled with mistakes, lust and shame. Music may be the only reason to carry on.
Vasquez, perhaps the least heralded member is a revelation for those unfamiliar with Delta Spirit’s work. “Blue Eyes” sparkles with crystalline melodies that feel more robust upon each listen. He sings the ode to a crush with lush emotion, “She’s a southern girl without the drawl/She’s a good girl who wears black bras/The only one who can make me crawl/She’s too sweet to force me”. Slinky yet direct electric guitar work and vivid piano accents allow the song to bounce forward, building beauty. “Theater” is perhaps the most angrily elegant song on the album with a desolate refrain that rings out, “This life won’t tell you nothing/nothing but lies”. Vasquez’s “Someday” is another nugget of perfection, mixing doo-wop and R&B-ish harmonies to form a weirdly creative synthesis of modern country folk and Brill Building aesthetics that somehow makes perfect sense.
McCauley brings his very personal, raucous and gritty rock n’ roll sensibility to “Me, Me, Me” and “Middle Brother”. The former is supported by big three part harmonies from his two compadres and the latter is a hefty dose of McCauley’s self-loathing tied to a boisterous mash up of Jerry Lee Lewis vibes and “All Shook Up” melodies. In McCauley’s best work his combination of self-depreciating humor, lucid acknowledgement of personal pain, and an anguished singing voice make him a somewhat tragic figure, supremely talented yet self destructive.
Goldsmith’s brand of sincere story telling showcased so prominently on Dawes’ fabulous debut North Hills, is displayed in its most stylistically simple format on “Thanks for Nothing” where a sparse arrangement deftly allows his words and heart to shine. “Wilderness” echoes the sense of despair that turns up frequently on Middle Brother, albeit couched in the prettiest of melodies. “I plan to be the guy who when he drinks/he disappoints/They say you’ll kill yourself before you know it/Well, isn’t that the point”. Unfortunately, “Blood and Guts” is the first and only Goldsmith creation that feels slightly overblown by the middle.
A cover of Paul Westerberg’s “Portland” is a perfect choice. The former Replacements front man wrote this track after a particularly rough night in the Northwest during the 80s when he and his band mates were unable to complete a performance due to an excess of grandpa’s cough medicine. Because Middle Brother echoes the Replacement’s dirty beauty, the instantly hook filled guitar line fits in perfectly. Westerberg’s words tell the story, “Regrets, misgivings, but we won’t change/Its too late to turn back/here we go”.
On the album closing “Million Dollar Bill” the musical brothers collaborate on a breakup lullaby with crisp snare hits and alternate singing the verses. A pure spirit of teamwork and support lifts the songs “oohs” toward a real place of heartbreak, friendship, and the hope of a better future. Middle Brother keeps the flame alive.
