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Leicester Bangs (UK): Rob Forbes These
days, one of the benefits of being an adult is you get to enjoy
a better class of pop music than the kids. It’s never been
like this before. When I was a mere whippersnapper, too many years
ago, I could happily sneer at the old folks listening to their crappy
records, safe in the knowledge that I was plugged directly into
the good stuff - and there was plenty of it to go ‘round,
too. Now everything’s been turned on its head. The kids -
poor bastards - get shovelled pre-packaged plinky-plonky arse gravy,
and I’m still getting the quality gear. In fact, I’m
having to introduce, instruct and educate my own kids in the pure
unfettered joy of proper pop thrills, and today's lesson folks is
Brad Brooks. A contemporary and buddy of Chris von Sneidern (Chris,
long time no hear...), Brooks is the archetypal 21st century pop
maverick, beavering away with limited funds and a modest audience,
but with plenty of time on his hands to get things just right. He
borrows liberally from the past - think Beatles, Left Banke, Brian
Wilson and some of Queen’s pomp and splendour - and completes
the mix with modern influences like Rufus Wainwright and Thom Yorke
at his most melodic. Needless to say, it hardly seems rocket science
fusing the styles of some of the most talented and popular artists
of the last 40 years, but that doesn’t quite explain why it
sounds so damn good, and that so few other people seem to be doing
it with quite the same zeal and, dare I say, panache. For those
of you with your ears correctly tuned, I suggest that, without further
delay, you check out Brooks’ MySpace page, and when you’ve
agreed with everything I’ve said, purchase in the manner that
suits. www.brad-brooks.com Subba-Cultcha (UK): Pete Williams Undeniably talented singer songwriter struggles to stamp his own identity on his music: There is a certain something about Brad Brooks that makes you want to dismiss him and his album straight away. A singer songwriter, originally from Tucson, Arizona, the music that Brooks creates, on first listen at least, seems somewhat one dimensional and the tracks that do stick around a while in your head seem too derivative to be given any real credence.As you give Spill Collateral Love a closer listen, it becomes clear that the problem with this album is that it paints a somewhat blurred picture of who Brad Brooks is and what he's trying to say with his music. Opening track Love On My Sleeve, though relatively simple, evokes so many other artists all at once - Elliot Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Keane, etc. - that it becomes difficult to concentrate on the fact that it's actually quite a good, atmospherically moody song in it's own right. In fact, aside from the upbeat guitar driven Lathered In Cream, the sun-drenched The Loon Of Altitude, which again inescapably evokes thoughts of Elliot Smith, and the Counting Crows-esque track The Sonic Twins, atmospherically moody serves as a suitable description for the album as a whole, with the weapon of delivery alternating between piano and guitar.Spill Collateral Love does contain some genuinely good songs, in particular Francis Of Alaska and the intriguingly titled Ex-Stripper Librarian, but it's almost as if Brooks is trying a bit too much at once for it to be an altogether enjoyable listen. Worth checking out though. Subba-Cultcha Daily Rock (Swiss): Robert Pally Une chose est sure avec Brad Brooks, il a un certain sens du dramatique. Scott Walker vient a l'espirit. Apres une intro theatrale, ca rock, c`est puissant et sans cliche`. Apre`s ca tourne elegamment au pop drama. Une certaine legerete attend l`auditeur au morceau suivant, "The Loon Of Altitude", dont la fin aurait fait la joie de Tom Waits. "Hit Me Like A Smile" vient ensuite, de la pure poe`sie musicale. "Katrina Is A Bitch" sonne douncement folk, malgr`e le titre, puis on a "The Sonic Twins", un retour bienvenu a` un power pop rock. Avec "Pleading Amnesia", on a finalement une touche de Pink Floyd. Pour terminer, Brad Brooks se met seul au piano, tel un pianiste de bar quand tout le monde est parti. La derniere phrase est "When the world comes into view the world is love". JamBase (Cooks Corner): Dennis Cook Brad
Brooks: Spill Collateral Love (Mouth Magic) Absolute Powerpop: Steve Farra And now for something completely different. Brad Brooks stretches the boundaries of power pop with Spill Collateral Love, a tour de force of different pop stylings that share the same level of inspiration. I've seen comparisons of Brooks to a number of different artists, with the consensus being that he's Freddie Mercury meets Guided by Voices. There's certainly an element of that in there, but there are several others that shine through. For example, the leadoff track "Love On My Sleeve" builds to a Rufus Wainwright via Thom Yorke crescendo that never wears out its welcome over nearly six minutes. "Lathered In Cream" is the closest to straight-ahead power pop, but it adds its own subversive GbV element as well. Other standouts include "The Loon of Altitude" (which starts off as a poppy-California-sounding ditty, only to dissolve into a "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" wall of sound, only to dissolve again into some ragtime piano with unintelligble whispers), "Francis of Alaska" (Freddy & Rufus again), the near-jangle of "The Sonic Twins", and the 40s-style crooning of the finale "Luccurious Latitude". Spill Collateral Love is the power pop equivalent of an art film, and although it my lack the immediate hooks that we normally deal in here, it's worth the effort to explore. Absolute Powerpop Power Of Pop: Kevin Matthews An
absolute dream of an album! The fecundity of Brook’s true
blue pop gift will positively flood you the moment you press play.
I am a sucker for eclecticism and Brooks provides variety in spades.
And what blistering entertainment – from chamber pop to guitar
pop to music hall to modern balladry to country-folk and so on…
the instrumentation is world class: real strings illuminate the
proceedings like a breath-taking sunrise. Powerpopaholic: Aaron Kupferberg For those of you who enjoy your pop on the baroque side, the new Brad Brooks album will definitely be your cup of tea. "Spill Collateral Love" contains a flood of orchestral and harmonic details with those guitar power chords. "Love on my sleeve" is a good track that recalls the hypnotically repeated guitar chords from Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." This is followed by "Lathered in Cream," a bouncy, hook-filled classic slice of power pop and the obvious "single" on this album - unfortunately that's it for the high energy songs. The rest of the album takes a rather moody turn. It begins with the melancholic "Ex-stripper Librarian" that sounds alot like a great Stephen Trask show ballad. "The Loon of Altitude" and "Francis of Alaska" mixes a bit of classic piano and Vaudevillian styled narrative rock that recalls Jellyfish's best moments. In fact, Brooks sings his heart out on this album with an emotional resonance resembling Freddy Mercury or 10cc. I'm sure there is a full story connecting all these songs, with arcane run-on-sentence lyrics like, "..this town is a crazy playground of lost daisies are chaining...," I'll need to listen to it more. When we get to "The Sonic Twins" we get back to the classic Brad Brooks sound for a bit, before the album contiunes with the harmonica driven "Pleading Amnesia" that sounds like it would fit well on Pink Floyd's The Final Cut or any Guided By Voices album. The album ends with "Luxurious Latitude" a fitting music-hall styled ending. It's good to shake things up a bit and have power pop not so cheery, but very dramatic and visceral. Listen to this album streaming at Not Lame to hear it all. Not Lame: Bruce Brodeen WARNING - MACH II: Challenging, high-reaching music may be dangerous to your culture-dulled ears! Okay, now that we have those public service announcements out of the way, let's talk about dangerous pop. Power Poppin' music that forgoes conventions, leaves behind simple accepted formulas and aspires to the tattooed indie rock crowd who has no idea that a Raspberry, a Jellyfish or a Big Star has everything to do with timeless music and nothing to do with fruit and stardom. Not Lame has a special deal going on right now for this amazing release, as well. Go to this link to listen to a stream out on this album and find out what kind of extra, exclusive goodies we have for you! Not Lame So what does it all sound like? Well, if you are familiar with the works of Jon Brion's "Meaningless" you are heading in the right direction. "Spill Collateral Love" is work of big and beautifully sublime creations for people who want their music to comfort, enrich themselves - not entertain. The spirit here is intoxicating. The music moods are kaleidoscopic without being trippy because we're talking pop music and all the arrangements fit snug inside the vision. You can hear it above, in fact. ONE OF 2007's VERY VERY BEST, we are most serious on this one. Reviews of-Sanctified Into Astroglide Popmatters: Ben Varkentine The telltale self-indulgence of the third track here, "Juliette Lewis's Day Off", a fantasy from the point of view of a movie crew worker having an affair with the actress, is the early clue to Brad Brooks's biggest influences, and later songs make them come through loud and clear. Brooks is the kind of guy whose favorite Beatles period would be the all-studio, post touring era. Who would buy a boxed set of nothing but Brian Wilson's unfinished noodlings. Whose favorite Tears For Fears album would be Seeds of Love with all it's over-the-top production and bells and whistles. And who would hold XTC all the more close to his heart for Andy Partridge's stubborn refusal to venture out of the studio with his band. You get the picture.Now, there is nothing wrong with any of those things. Indeed, at least one of those descriptions applies to me. But...You just knew there was a "but".Though his references to their blueprints are obvious, Brooks has not built a very fine house on their foundations. This is all pop, pop, but without (forgive me) the fizz, fizz. The effervescence, excitement or exhilaration those bands supplied in their highest flights is in small quantities here.The unfortunate but true reason is that by waving their banners high, Brooks has invited comparison with Lennon, McCartney, Wilson, Orzabal, Smith and Partridge as songwriters. And that is a promise he cannot keep. "All My Favorite Bands Broke Up", for example, gives us the not-exactly-heartstopping line "I don't understand why bands die and do they cry?" and is otherwise given over to a list of those favorite bands. I'll give him credit for listing ABC, Spandau Ballet and even Kajagoogoo -- but I'll withdraw it if he's being ironic. (Irony is so '90s, don'tcha know.)This CD is...well, it's the damnedest thing, is what it is. Splashing musical and lyrical ideas onto a cinema-scope sized canvas, it leaves you with a picture that is always interesting, if not always as developed or refined as one might like. I would likely hire Brooks as a producer-arranger, but as a songwriter he needs to make a few more trips to the well.Note: This CD may be difficult to find. It wasn't listed at any of the four online CD services I checked, and Brooks's own web site wasn't helpful at all. However, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area (as does Brooks) and you're curious, it seems to be available in record stores there. LEICESTER
BANGS UK: Rob Forbes SFBayGuardian: John O'Neal Brooks is a mid-tempo, piano-based pop magician who originally hails from Tucson, Ariz., home of nothing. If his latest album, Sanctified in Astroglide (Mouth Magic), is any indication of what is to be expected live, he could be the talk of the festival. Or he could be an unmitigated disaster. Brooks's quasi psychedelia-meets-West Coast baroque owes to obvious influences like Brian Wilson and the Zombies, but it owes just as much to the bombast of ELO and Wings (the only thing more embarrassing than McCartney's solo output). Disconcerting? You bet. Either way, it's a must-see.Most likely to: Own a copy of Pipes of Peace.POWER OF POP: Kevin Matthews BRAD BROOKS Sanctified Into Astroglide [Mouth Magic] www.Brad-Brooks.com Sci-fi pop. Edgy, angular, oddball but always with melodic quotient intact. Psychedelic John Lennon, Traffic, Smile-era Brian Wilson, the Move, Syd Barrett, Robyn Hitchcock, XTC, Teardrop Explodes and Blur -- y'know pop with a distinctive flavour. Mildred Cross, Second Only To Nature, Barking Dogma and Juliette Lewis Day Off attest to Brook's way with quirky tunes, spacey effects, studiocraft and a healthy dose of fun. The last 3 tracks end on a rootsy note but, what can I tell ya - it works! (8)AMPLIFIER: Jeff Shelton Brad Brooks is a San Francisco singer-songwriter who has been working the in mines of the local music scene for years, in addition to earlier musical stints in his hometown of Tucson Arizona. Finally coming to terms with hiswell-versed pop music acumen, Brooks has assembled a fine collection of compelling mid-tempo pop on his debut album "Sanctified Into Astroglide". With the help of various Bay Area musicians, Brooks has melded his piano-based songs into rich, complex and sometimes psychedelic songscapes with sweetly melodic 60's and 70's pop overtones."Frosty Chronic Memories" has a distinct Zombies flair with its soft vocals and rich gliding piano, while the punchy "Juliette Lewis Day Off" is pure 70's pop indulgence ala 10cc and Queen. Equally adept at just guitar and vocals,Brooks offers a change of pace with the sweet, stripped-down "Mildred Cross", perhaps the album's most memorable track. As if searching for even more variety, "Sanctified's" later tracks astroglide into mid-tempo pop that is almost country-tinged. Certainly not lacking influence and ability, Brad Brooks is a pop solo artist on the rise, who will hopefully take his pop appeal beyond the reaches of the Bay Area.SFBayGuardian:
Summer Burkes
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