This Is Book's Music

There’s always that fear of hearing something, liking it but unsure of what terms to use to accurately describe it. I realize artists and labels either create or hire someone to write a bio that does this for journalists, but as a general rule I avoid bios. What to do? Listen and try to come up with a description that fits. Br’er is an artist that makes music that reminds me of a lot of early 80′s British pop, not just some of the darker emotional overtones, but the unique mixture of synths and acoustic instruments that turns out songs that can often have moving lyrics, complimented with fine instrumentation. That’s what can be heard on City Of Ice (Edible Onion).

One song I singled out more than any is “You Go, We Stay Here”, because you have a song that has a repetitive electronic drum, sounding like something you’d expect to hear on USA Network’s Night Flight at 2am, but there’s also an ‘ukulele being played (or actually, two ‘ukulele). One doesn’t normally hear the’ukulele playing in a song with that kind of timber and depth, there are generations who will always hear it for being happy or cheesy, but Br’er, or more specifically Bbenjamin Schurr (who plays the majority of the instruments on this, including the ‘ukulele in this song) cuts right between the two and uses it to add a different element into the song. Charming in a goth-like manner.

Most of the songs here sound like someone who has been alone a lot, or at least written with the mindset of someone being alone but seeing someone or something, anything to distract from the loneliness. You’ll most likely never hear a line like “long for her heart as you lust for their penis/there’s so much behind us and far less between us/it’s just getting worse with the farther you run/and it’s just getting deeper with the more songs you’ve sung” in a Todd Rundgren song, but mix up Willy Wonka and maybe Godley & Creme‘s “An Englishman In New York” and you may get closer to the source of what Br’er are trying to say.

There’s wordplay, puzzles, logic and craft in Br’er’s music, lyrics, and production, and I’d love to be able to see and hear how he pulls this off live. Fans who may want to hear truly emotional, thought-provoking, adventurous and eclectic pop will not have to look any further than the City Of Ice album. He’s a product of the City of Brotherly Love, and while the music may not sound like some of his more territorial brethren, the care for creativity is very much there.

(City Of Ice will be released on November 22nd, and will be available through FullGrownMan.com and Edible Onion.)