Review of Brass Bed’s Melt White
The first 30 seconds of Melt White sold me.
A very Beach Boysesque harmony opens the album on “Aria” followed by Mader musing on how long it has been. A delicate opener for a rock record to say the least. This is followed by the breezy summer anthem: “People want to be happy.” I had heard this track earlier in the year and decided it would be the question of the summer “are ya coming home in the summertime?” A collage of 60s and 70s rock sounds emanate from my tiny laptop speakers. It almost seems a crime to listen music this way, but the songs still sparkle in full stereo fidelity.
“Miniature Day Parade” starts with a bang including experimental noises. A lot of harmony on this record, with strains of banjo coming through on this particular track. “Panthers” opens with a Blackbird-like intro leading into a song that sounds more like The Walkmen. The boys have really hit their stride this time around. The arrangements are complex and swirling but raw enough to call rock and roll. The transition from “Begs me not to beg” to “God Save the Thieves” was so well done I barely knew it was a new song. God save is more reminiscent of a Wilco jam, but with a southern twist. Saturated in gravy and reverb, it swells the same way a shotgun house in uptown New Orleans would in the dog days of summer.
The banjo returns for “maybe it’s not me” (now the recent press photos make a lot more sense) with Jonny taking the lead vocals. A wise arrangement choice as his vocal stylings are conducive to this track. “Strangers” marks the lead vocals debut of Peter Dehart. Melancholy and haunting, “Strangers” laments a lost love. Mader returns to vocals on Bums on the Radios, managing to drop an F bomb just for the hell of it.
Pop Mission comes out the gate like a freight train. Dirty overdriven bass tone and unforgiving drums, this song rocks like a punk anthem. This is followed by the album’s closer: “Farmers” — an introspective ballad. Surprising for a record that packs a punch to be bookended by relatively slow songs.
Overall this is a great record filled with emotion, laments, introspection, and rock power. The psychedelia, rock, and southern sensibilities combine for a unique and fresh sound that is rarely heard in a backyard as small as Lafayette, LA. Brass Bed continues to make music that is uplifting, thoughtful, and danceworthy.