the graff brothers - hear your song

The Graff Brothers

Hear Your Song
self-relleased; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The group The Graff Brothers isn't just a bunch of brothers. It’s actually two brothers Matt and Sean Graff and another accomplished musician Howard Timmons. What might be most interesting isn't that they are brothers but that they are 16 years apart. It got me thinking that even though the older brother Matt  probably influenced Sean’s music preferences a whole different layer of musical inspirations is most likely to be accounted for from the generation gap between the two in their recent full-length entitled Hear Your Song. 

The Graff Brothers cover a variety of different styles on this album but a majority relies on acoustic-based melancholy rock. The songs are hit or miss but when they are on they hit it out of the park. There were a couple of moments on this album where the chemistry of the band really comes together. The album covers the most timeless of subjects. According to the band, “This album is mostly a compilation of various love songs. The songs were written over the course of about a year since Dec 2012.”

The album was recorded DIY style in their basement and sounds pretty good production-wise. There are a couple of moments that sound a bit cluttered and would have benefitted from a better recording. These moments are far and in between. For the most part it sounded good.

Of the 14 songs on this album, there were a couple that stood out to me. “Far Gone” creates a unique combination of emotions. The song is rooted in melancholy but has a number of moments that feel triumphant even cathartic. I was attracted by the warm guitars as well as the attractive lead vocals. The best moments for me were toward the end when they introduce either a manipulated guitar or synth that has a flying backwards effect that intensified the emotions of the song. “Radar’ sounded a bit distorted and squashed at points but had an excellent section in the middle of the song that sounded dissonant and chaotic until it found resolution. “Can You Tell” was a sparse but effective song that revolved around the acoustic guitar. It displayed some of the best string work as well as arguably the best vocal work on the album.

Overall, The Graff Brothers put together a substantial, cohesive album with a number of good songs. There were a few lulls but I found the ride to be quite enjoyable.

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