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Dreamy guitar pop is definitely one of my favorite genres, and it seems that its quickly reemerged as one of the world’s favorites too. I’ve heard gems from Australia, the UK, Mexico, Japan and now, with Brothers In Law, Italy. The band’s latest album, Hard Time for Dreamers, fulfills the promise that was apparent on their early single, providing listeners with an uplifting pop record that’s breezy and enchanting.
There’s something familiar about the way album opener “Lost Control” begins, but as soon as those steadily bouncing drums kick in, I forget about that, and just let myself get lost. Guitars swirl in the background and the vocals are uplifting in tone; it’s hard not to find yourself immediately falling for Hard Times for Dreamers, especially when the wayward guitar playing you carries you away towards the end of the track. It fits nicely with the next tune, “Go Ahead,” which lives in a similar sonic realm, though there’s something about the vocals that gives it a different feel. It’s just a brief moment, but they raise higher in pitch, leaving me with one of my favorite 2 seconds of pop this year.
I definitely can see that there are times when the vocals might have too much coating on them, but it’s almost as if Brothers In Law intended to be that way. It’s as if the voice has been built to add the depth of another instrument. That being said, during “A Magic,” there is some clarity just after the two-minute mark when the song breaks down to a slower pace for a momentary relaxed movement. But, that brief moment sets the scene for “Childhood,” where the voice takes the central role in spectacular fashion. For the beginning, the whole song centers around the voice, surrounding it with warmth, as you would expect in some sort of cathedral recording. Then, the drums begin to pound, the guitars are turned up, and they shuttle you away to the place where Hard Times for Dreamers lives: a bliss-filled state of relaxation.
If you’re in need for a certifiable hit, and let’s face it, most of us are, then you can probably find the answer to your search by going straight to “(Shadow II) Leave Me.” Almost from the moment it starts the angular guitar cuts its way back and forth between the solid drumming section. Honestly, I’m pretty sure this is the best song that Wild Nothing never wrote. Yet I’ll admit that it’s not easy to find a standout on Hard Times for Dreamers, and that’s not because the record falls short in any way. In fact, it’s so consistent that you could easily find yourself listening to every track over and over for many days to come.
Subtle pop never really gets the love it deserves, but I want to reverse that today by tossing out this tune from Marching Band. The Swedish group recently released their excellent And I’ve Never Seen Anything Like That EP, which I gravitated to based on the collage style of the artwork, but then fell in love with once I heard this lead single. It’s not going to blow you away with some sort of progressive brilliance, but it’s just a solid pop tune that you can’t ignore. People don’t write songs like this too often anymore, so I’m glad there’s still someone out there creating crisp, clean pop music. I hope you enjoy this one folks.
This band will be joining us for SxSW. They are high on my watch list, stay tuned for a little playlist action for you digitally inclined SxSW fence-crashers.