New Music from Brooklyn Brothers

Brooklyn Brothers' sound teeters between the wide-eyed optimism of a grade school kid and the jadedness of a brokenhearted twentysomething. The songs were written by singer Ryan O'Nan and his two friends from college, whose band inspired the Brooklyn Brothers' "The Shins meets Sesame Street" sound. The group's solitary sound could be attributed to the use of cheap Casio keyboards, drum machines, and children's instruments. Opening song "Come On Girl" encapsulates this with its jovial, bouncy keyboard, upbeat acoustic guitar, and carelessness-themed lyrics. "Someday" on the other hand, contains a more introspective tone, introducing sparse piano to O'Nan's melancholic vocals. The songs never reach an absolute of either happy or sad though. When O'Nan pleads on "278 (Airport)" that he "swear[s] [he's] trying", he's eventually saved by a backing chorus that accompanies him and the the buoyant instrumentation found throughout the album. The album's unique choice of instruments keeps the Brooklyn Brothers' debut record from getting dreary, making sure the listener has enough vigor to bop along to each track.

Recommended tracks: track #1 "Come On Girl", track #2 "278 (Airport)", track #5 "Someday", track #3 "Hey Captain"

RIYL: The Magnetic Fields, The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Elliot Smith

FCC CLEAN

Label: Rhino Records