Brother Guy is an eclectic and funky collective based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Up and coming since 2018 they are a seven-piece funk rock and jam band that creates a good time no matter what their piece. Recently, they mixed and mastered their new Drawer Daze EP. This album is a great listen, especially as a chill summer soundtrack.
"Crazy" is reminiscent of hot summer days, festivals and a funky background of just letting go and letting loose. Despite the lyrics being darker - “going crazy inside my head, I need a coffin I wish I was a dead" - the music feels like a validation of the theme of just needing a break from the seriousness of life. For a negative theme, it is one funky and multilayered groovy scene. Moving through Drawer Daze EP, we transition to longer rhythms and repeating beats and featured guitar solos in "Chris's Jawn." The storytelling in the lyrics evolve into a very relatable way with "I had to laugh or cry and that was by design" and "I said I'm not the coolest for the thousandth time." Like a funky defeated punch in the gut. However, things turn up in "Natural." A complete surrender, "barefoot in the snow," the comparisons of squirrels, clams and the moose. A full on letting go and breath of fresh air that really feels different from the whole album. It reminds me just a tad like the UK band Chameleon Circuit, but natural, with a bit of crunch. Quicker in tempo, and a very different mood with the vocals. "Reflections" is the completion and final song. This is where the band allows more focus on the string instruments, especially the violin which I love. It felt relaxed and I believe the most representative of the soul of this album. The funk and grooviness is not present in this composition as much. Yet, it still has an excellent background percussion that gives it a grounded jazz quality. All in all this band has a great funky vibe. They are not shy about their lyrics and they master the contrast of upbeat with profundity in a way that wants to make me dance, and that is no small feat. The album comes together as an emotional story and does not leave you hanging or incomplete. However their lyrics are open enough to interpretation that it can be incorporated to fit a variety of moods. Keeping it groovy, funky, and so eclectic.
1 Comment
Thom Francis
6/26/2019 11:08:22 am
Faithful review
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