Fat Cat

There’s that thing with modern art. People always say A SIX YEAR OLD COULD DO THAT! Modern art eh! Oh the times have advanced so far; now one can toss a shark in formaldehyde, give it a swish name and be off with millions. Oh the times they are a-changing.

So along come three fastidious gun-slingers from out west. Young, talented, they’re reasonably new in town and on the superb label that is Fat Cat. Usually a good sign. But then there’s this modern art thing hanging over it all. I’ll explain later.

Our Brother are Native are Broken Social Scene, Animal Collective and Shocking Pinks. They are those kids hiding in the giant panda or bear costumes you see in all those really cheap low-fi videos banging away at things and mimicking these aforementioned far superior outfits. Everything sounds bashed and muffled and purposely cheap when in fact it probably cost loads and loads and unless there is an underlining current, a little HINT of melody (like My Bloody Valentine), then it’s all just a bit shit.

That’s basically Our Brother the Native summed up. OKAY, they’re not SHIT but this album is too loose to make sense or keep the listeners attention or to really matter afterward. There are really only three good tracks – ‘All Grown’, ‘Sores, Endless Winter – and the rest are forgettable. The majority of the songs are all tinkering ghostly keys trouncing about with repetitive sawing violins and like terrible actors; the songs ramble on stage, clumsy, forgetting their words and looking a mess. Where ARE the words? What actually is being said in ANY of the songs? Just frustrating. It’s a frustrating album to love, or like really. A six year old could do this!!! See? That’s where the modern art connection comes in. A messy painting. The brush casually lumped across a long room left to slap and spatter; the artist left to accept what grand statement he has limply crafted.  

This is not a complete disaster but it is certainly hard to find something positive to say, to recommend to a friend or put on a playlist on an Ipod. The quality isn’t there. There are nice little bits and pieces but nothing nicely polished and original. It all sounds ridiculously like BSS, etc, etc, etc. What a bore that record contracts extend to yet more frivolous ‘talent.’ They are young and will probably do much better but for now, this is one to glance at, don’t look twice and keep right on going.

This is Brakes first release on Fat Cat, their third overall and things have changed drastically here. Touchdown is a much more solid album. It focuses on firm song structures, keeping one eye on the complete finished product which is where their last departure Give Blood fell down. It was fractured; far too weird, too extreme, songs simply too short and the mix of dance, rock and country didn’t quite sit well.

There’s not much to fault here this time round. The mix of furious pelting rock gives way quite easily to the sweet lullaby country ballads. For example ‘Red Rag’ roars with an abject fury. It’s full of thrash noise, screaming and kicking reminiscent of when Blur used to let loose but it keeps its wits about it with an undercurrent of melody and so its job of flowing into the next, ‘Worry About it Later’, a beautiful, beautiful two minute ballad, is made all the easier. Everything about this album is much more concentrated, carefully stacked, each ingredient, each chord etc. The songs are a good length this time around and there are just twelve tracks which is perfect. The feeling is one of an actual album not just a messy hobby like Give Blood.

‘Crush on You’ brings to mind Snow Patrol, but the old Snow Patrol when they wrote good songs. And it’s better than anything Snow Patrol did write, even then. It has a cool 90’s Brit pop feel to it, as do many of the songs presented here – ‘Do You feel the Same’, ‘Ancient Mysteries’ and ‘Why Tell the Truth’ - but its handled in an updated manner of sorts. The sublime ‘Oh! Forever’ will hopefully be released as a single and earn its place as a contender for shoegazing single of the year.

For those not into country music, have no fear. What’s on offer here is not country music in the strictest sense. It is loose and wild like a free bar in the rambling South brought right into your modern urban living room. The lyrics and drums and clatter of guitars encompass much more than the stereotypical Hank Williams-esque blues. The likes of ‘Eternal Return’ and ‘Leaving England’ are spliced with all sorts of influences and twists and turns to ever really box them into this category anyway. There are shades of Nick Drake and many others here, all infused very precisely. Nothing Brakes do is ever straight forward. Which is refreshing.

All sounds like an odd album? Don’t be put off. The songwriting is way, way above par. The cascading hooks and rampaging guitars make this all worth the while. It’s a quick journey – 35mins – so enjoy. Brakes may never become media darlings but they seem rather pleased to just sit back and bask in their cultish following. The work here speaks for its self anyway and isn’t that all that matters? Oh and, to save the best for last; this album contains one of the best intro tracks of the year, the smashing violence of ‘Two Shocks’ replete with shakers, tambourines, a chant along climax and explosive drumming to top it all off. Superb stuff.