Cary Brothers - Under Control
Rating
RIYL
Brit-popAcoustic Folk
80’s New Wave
Release Date
04/09/2010
Label
Procrastination MusicTracklist
1. Ghost Town2. Under Control
3. Break Off The Bough
4. After The Fall
5. Someday
6. Belong
7. Over and Out
8. Alien
9. Something About You
10. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
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Do you know the name Cary Brothers? In most cases, the answer is no. Brothers has been trying his hand at the singer-songwriter gig for around 8 years at this writing and has been steadily building a fan base for his music, which tends to lean toward the moodiness and ambition of Coldplay. But he’s not only relying on radio play to get his name out there. You may have heard his songs on Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Psych, and One Tree Hill as well as movies such as 2004’s Garden State, which was directed by Brothers’ college mate, Zach Braff. Brothers’ last release, Who You Are hit #22 on Billboard’s Heatseeker album chart in mid-2007, and now his latest release Under Control is his latest salvo at building his career toward even bigger heights.
But this salvo will not come with a bang so much as a whisper in your ear from behind. Teasing you, Brothers’ style is not to blow you away with technical wizardry or fireworks, but instead he goes about it in the more low-key traditional singer-songwriter manner. The instruments seem muted and hazy, much like the sound of an album played on a record player. His voice is brought to the front to focus your attention on the lyrics, which tend to gravitate towards relationship issues.
In fact, what is really pleasing about this approach is that it takes recognizable elements from other more famous acts and puts them together in a consistent manner. I get the idea that Cary Brothers knows what kind of songs he wants to make and how he wants them to sound, which is a gift that is more rare than you’d think these days. It is amazing that Brothers can have so many songs that feel so different from one another, yet feel so consistent.
Under Control is an appropriate name for this disc. Everything about this album feels very controlled and restrained. And, really, if I had to criticize any aspect of this disc, it is that notion. I think it would be nice to hear this collection of songs live with louder drums and maybe some more guts in the singing. Brothers’ preferred method of singing is soft crooning, except for when he bursts into heavily-reverbed, soaring choruses such as in “Belong” and the shuffling “Break Off the Bough.” Brothers mentions in his bio that some of his biggest influences are 80’s new wave bands, and I can hear it. There is a lot of Tears for Fears on this album, only there’s less pomposity on Under Control. These are simple songs done elegantly, much like Keane and Snow Patrol are known for.
The real gems on this album are found at the end, though. Brothers reworked Level 42’s 1985 pop gem “Something About You” into an introspective ballad, a sexy slow dance set to music. This is gorgeous songcrafting that brings out the beauty in the original song by stripping the original of its production issues and dubious falsetto singing. In the hands of Brothers’ soulful baritone, it is transformed into the definitive version of this song, at least in my mind. And then the masterful closer “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” works it way slowly into your head and doesn’t even contemplate leaving. Its simple guitar backed with subtle keyboard touches shows that sometimes the perfect accompaniment for a great song is almost none. This hypnotic song makes me not want the album to end which is, of course, a great way for it to end.
Cary Brothers is a rising star and proves that he is worthy of his growing audience with this excellent album. Keep your eye out for this guy on a television or movie screen near you.
--David Toothman
Comments
Illinois
i checked this out based on the good reviews it's been getting. it was a decent album honestly, some good solid indie folk. it's one of those albums i probably won't listen to a bunch, but i mean i won't deny that it is good, it just isn't for me.
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I've only listened to Who You Are, if it is as consistent as WYA then I'm all ears.
Really good album, Something About You is a great cover, may I say better than the original. It's very consistent, and slowly growing on me. Perfect for driving late in the afternoon, especially the last two songs, perfect way to close the record.