Singer/songwriter/guitarist Sam Brasko’s journey to recording started with a live gig. Combining the success of that performance with inspiration from songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Brasko put his own pen to paper to write, and eventually record, the songs that landed on his debut EP, Ghost in the Window.
The disc grabs you right away with “Paper Skin.” Its bare-bones, live-room feel, featuring just guitar, bass, and drums, recall a classic Creedence record–swampy and bluesy. Brasko’s opening lyric is strong (”someone help the man who ripped your paper skin”), and he carries that all the way through, as a stream-of-consciousness, one-sided breakup conversation. His songwriting shows skill and sympathy, as he breaks the words across bars in unusual, yet pleasing and natural-sounding ways. In a nod towards modern recording, he’s included some nicely overdubbed guitar solos, with terrific tone. The arrangement includes a couple of false endings, supporting the unresolved nature of the paper-skinned relationship. It’s a great opening track. The second track “Mockingbird” is a bit more produced, kicking off with layered string parts before moving a verse instrumentation similar to “Paper Skin”’s. The lyrics have engaging inner rhymes throughout, such as: “With all this damage done we've all but won / But that's no surprise to me / Well I thought I heard that mockingbird / Still singing his decree.” Brasko lays on another melodic guitar solo (again, with terrific tone), and caps the track with a bird-song whistle. It’s another winner. The final cut “Works Well With Others” starts off with a bit of country-style fingerpicking before picking up the classic train beat. Brasko puts his own spin on things, though, by including cool alterations to the chords (some flat sevenths, flat thirds and sharp fifths) in unexpected spots. This works great, and he includes the occasional stop-and-start to keep things interesting while supporting the song. If you’re a fan of those classic Creedence or country feels, you’ll enjoy Ghost in the Window, as Sam Brasko has channeled that raw, immediate feel onto the record. If you’re a fan of good songwriting, you’ll enjoy Ghost in the Window, too, as there are three gems here. Sam Brasko, please keep writing and recording–we need more of this!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|