Brandon Carroll’s first release an eponymous 4 song E.P. is of the classic singer/songwriter vein laying someplace the noodling, nasal James Taylor and Elliot Smith who couldn’t handle the unbearable lightness of being and slow record sales. Like most music in the genre there’s not much more going on in the music than the pretty melancholy of guitar and straight forward, sweet sounding vocals.
The first track, Don’t Bring me Down, is the strongest track on the album and while the lyrics appear to be a frustrated fretting the vocals tenderness goes contrary; Mr. Carroll doesn’t seem to care about emoting his sentiments.
The Second track picks up a bit in tempo causing some foot tapping as Brandon scratch strums along like an old railroad train and sings with some nice Paul Simon, Elliot Smith harmonizing. I Just Can’t get Over You is catchy and may seem like a lost love song but then comes out as a tune about longing to get drunk and get freaky in an ex’s thighs. This may work for AC/DC but in the sensitive world of modern folk it contradicts it’s self.
A Million Miles slows the tempo down again and takes the E.P to it’s most introspective and complicated as Brandon Carroll faces romantic indecision where he is struck the dilemma of what he wants and what he’s capable of. He has to make the choice of going through the motions or being fair to the woman in his life.
Continuing with the classic rock, 1970s sounding titles, Sun In The Sky in some ways picks up where the previous song left off but her Brandon Carroll lays it down as tenderly and somberly as one can that he, like a twister he was born to walk alone and the bitch needs to get out of his face. Making a girl feel better about being dumped isn’t easy but a song like this can certainly put a sentimental band aid on the wound.
Brandon succeeds in making an acoustic piece without sinking to Jack Johnson, fraternity, Campfire schlock and keeps a delicate sincerity even if he is going through the stages of a relationship that he never meant to go anywhere.
Brandon Carroll plays tonight at the Delores Park Cafe 7:30PM
i wanna hear his album!
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