Review Summary: Best known for 'Blue Eyes', Cary Brothers first full length album is a cohesive set of songs varying from singer-songwriter to alternative rock.
Best known for the track 'Blue Eyes' from the soundtrack Garden State, Cary Brothers' first full length album is a coherent set of songs that are easily accessible. The songs, which vary from stripped down folk to a light alternative rock, are extremely catchy and it only takes a couple listens before one starts humming along with the tracks.
While some of the songs like. 'Ride', 'Honestly', 'Loneliest Girl in the World', and 'All the Rage' are re-recorded from earlier EPs, they still fit perfectly within the other songs to make the album a unit.
Cary Brothers is at his best when he is the most stripped down, such as in 'Honestly', where sparse instrumentation with subtle finger-picking accompanies Brothers' vocals, "lookin' for some hope, polished off the whiskey tonight, You turned a man to stone, for lookin' at you straight in the eyes." His voice is steeped in emotion and it feels as if you are hearing the song as it was performed right after the events that inspired it.
In addition to his excelling in a stripped-down songwriting approach, Brothers also shines when he pushes his vocals over the top of heavier instrumentation. In his more alternative songs, Brothers adds electric guitars, keyboards, acoustic guitars, and drums. Therefore heavier instrumentation is kind of a misnomer insofar as it is no bigger than a normal band. That being said, Brothers voice shines while the electric guitars are distorted and the drums ride the crash cymbal. The clarity and crispness in his voice becomes apparent and has just enough grease in it to invoke the emotion that he feels. An excellent examples of this is in the opening track 'Jealousy' where the highest note that is hit during the song is the word 'jealousy.'
The production is solid but not spectacular. Some of the clean electric guitar tones feel like they need some more delay and reverb to give the song more depth. However, one of my favorite parts in the album is in 'Ride' where the second verse has a David Grey-ish glitch electronic drum track that slides into a simple but spectacular fill on an organic drum set which opens the song up into the bridge.
The weakest point of the album is Brothers' lyrics. His topics all involve success and failure with women. While that in and of itself does not make his lyrics horrible, it's just that the lyrics lack a lot of imagery and metaphor which truly make other singer-songwriters special.
The album on the whole is spectacular and an excellent listen in any circumstance. Brothers took a positive step out of the shadow of 'Blue Eyes' and created an album with folky singer-songwriter tunes to songs in the vein of alternative rock.
