john frazier - brainclouds

John Frazier

Brainclouds
self-released; 2013

4.0 out of 5

John Frazier is a talented independent singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who challenges the boundaries of pop, folk and experimentation with an apparent, remarkable ease. Hailing from Brooklyn, Frazier strives to deliver the energy of punk/garage rock and roll, with the sonic possibilities of a folk/skiffle band, updated to the modern day. His album Brainclouds is a colorful work, and you can seriously get a hint of the vibes that the music brings just by giving the artwork a glance, as I said before, colorful. I couldn't imagine a better word to describe this record. Frazier manages to bring together diverse sounds, genres and instruments from the aforementioned folk and garage to latin, calypso,  avant-garde, ska and more. 

The first song entitled "little red shoes" starts with such a pleasant sounding melody that contains some  trumpet and banjo almost reminding me of something I would hear from "Talk Talk". It also contains one of the most abrupt yet interesting changes that comes out of nowhere that you wouldn't think would work but absolutely does., The second song "brainclouds" felt like something I might hear if Paul Simon discovered ska. Other songs like "Echopool" are so original by combining disparate elements into something that feels uniquely whole. This record just feels like a cool party. Not only is it straightforward party music, but there’s a deeper side to it as well, especially when it comes to the lyrics, literally and metaphorically exploring the concept of the passing of time, and the weather's cyclical nature. If you like the eclectic approach of artists like Wilco, Beck or The Beatles (think White Album and Sgt. Pepper), you'll love this!

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