It’s been a
while since I’ve showered a little love on the old hometown.
This weekend, the local folk collective Brothers and Sisters
gave their album away for free at a CD release show here in
Austin. I didn’t make the show, so maybe I’m just
feeling bad, or maybe it’s the excellent folk rock on the
new album that’s put me in an unusually good mood.
Either way, it’s Austin time.
But first, as
always, a little history. The real "brothers and
sisters" of the bunch are Will and Lilly Courtney, the
creative force behind the project. Rounding it out are
a good number of other local musicians on a whole slew of
glorious folk instruments (you know, like tambourine and
drums and stuff). The concept of a "collective" looks
good on paper, but up on the stage it’s even better, defying
the phony mysticism of indie rock for wonderfully simple,
old-timey fun-with-yer-friends folk music. But don’t take my
word for it, listen to what Will Scheff (you know, of
Okkervil River, that other Austin band) had to say about the
very topic:
"...their music
entirely lacks the calculated cool of contemporary indie
rock and seems totally oblivious to the cynical machinations
of the music business. In an indie world currently
hell-bent on exhuming the still-warm corpse of post-punk,
Brothers and Sisters reach back to a sunnier age, when
idioms as disparate as polished West Coast pop, rock and
roll choogle, AM radio balladry and classic country
could still rub up against each other at the same hazy
Topanga canyon party."
There are two
things that we can take from this: Will Scheff generally
knows what he’s talking about, and Brothers and Sisters are
a refreshing throwback to simpler times in our music
history, times that were more about big ol’ beards than big
ol’ V-necks.
Back in 2005
the band released their debut eponymous album, putting to
record their bold denial of all things "cool." The
album, at least for me, is wildly versatile. On late
sunny summer days, I’d roll the windows down and pop the
album in the car stereo, but come fall and winter (which in
Austin is really just fall), there was no better porch-side
soundtrack than Brothers and Sisters. Simply put, I
loved this album (and still do). You can check out two
tracks from it below, but I’d suggest watching this video as
well to get the full effect of Brothers and Sisters.
:Brothers
And Sisters - One Night:
:Brothers
And Sisters - Without You:
And then three loooong years of
waiting. An album like Brothers and Sisters’ debut can
certainly hold up over time, but three years is pushing. Luckily for us, the band stopped just short of really
pushing their luck, and drew up plans for a little somethin’
called Fortunately. The new album is, for the most
part, a refined version of the same old Brothers and
Sisters, but an all around more ambitious record.
These next two songs are great examples
of the similarities, and the evolution of the band. The Air
Is Getting Thicker is considerably more adventurous than
most of the straight forward jams on their debut. On the
other hand, this second song, You’re Gone, has more of
rock-out, electric guitar quality to it. The variety is
nice, but deep down, it’s the same thing that first drew me
to Brothers and Sisters. Essentially, Fortunately is
the perfect sequel to an album that’s been my musical
standard for far too long now.
:Brothers
And Sisters - The Air Is Getting Thicker:
:Brothers
And Sisters - You're Gone:
I know today’s post was a little short,
but I’ve got a lot of long distance driving to do today
(guess which albums are in the "trip" bucket). I hope
everyone’s got a few of those go-to albums, and if you want
to share them, feel free! I’m always looking for good new
music.
John Michael Cassetta keeps his own blog, Big
Diction, and writes for the local website Austin
Sound. Comments, complaints, and
solicitations may be directed
here.
- John Michael
Cassetta -
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
Creative Commons License.
