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| Brother & Bones - For All We Know EP |
Brother & Bones – For All We Know EP
Release Date: 12th November
After a summer of playing in
their natural habitat to packed festival crowds in fields and on beaches,
Brother & Bones are back with four new tracks and a headline UK tour. Now,
regular visitors to the Listen With Monger blog will know that I’m a bit of a
Brother & Bones fan but I have to admit to being a bit perplexed the first
time I let the For All We Know EP wash over me. The opening bars of ‘I See Read’
sound like the incidental music from and 80s cop film set in Chicago but as
soon as Rich Thomas’ distinctive voice cracks in to life that unmistakable
Brother & Bones sound is back. The atmospheric guitars, grinding bass and
chanted vocals make this a blinding opening track already but it’s the drumming
and percussion courtesy of Yiannia Sachinis and Robin Howell respectively that
make this beast come alive. By the time ‘I See Red’ reaches its tumultuous crescendo
it has changed from a soulful song full of yearning in to a primal, tribal,
snarling beast full of defiance, chest-beating and raw passion.
So how do you follow that? Well,
sneakily, you keep your EP title track back and then hit the listener with the
delights of ‘For All We Know’ which starts off as a gentle conjuring images of
a slow sunrise over a misty beach on a Spring morning. This one’s a grower in
every sense of the word and not least because Thomas’ vocals have developed in
to more of an instrument to compliment the heartfelt lyrics he sings. There has
never been any doubt that the frontman has a set of pipes on him but he is now
using his voice more cleverly and more subtly to add yet another layer to one
of the most versatile rock bands currently coming out of the UK. Track 3 brings
us ‘Follow Me Down’ which initially sounds like the kind of guitar picking you
might get at the start of a Justin Timberlake ditty but soon bursts in to life
with a familiarly apocalyptic force that will have small venues all over the UK
heaving this Autumn.
Finally, we have ‘Wicked Man’
which sees the quintet returning to a more Bluesy, rootsy feel that gives you a
glimpse in to what really drives these guys on. You see, Brother & Bones
are an elemental band who aren’t scared of getting their hands dirty to make
music that is dyed in the wool, farmed from the land and forged in scolding
fires. There’s no overproduction here, no corners cut and not one member of
this band is being carried by the others. This is the sound of 5 men who love
their work, who live their art and who would rather live in a van than a
mansion if it meant the difference between making their music and selling out for a fast buck. I’m not paid to write
these reviews, I’m not friends with band and I don’t get any reward for my
opinion. I am a music fan and as such I say this: If you like real, honest
music played by talented, passionate musicians then buy this EP and, more
importantly, scroll down this page to find the Brother & Bones tour date
nearest to you this Autumn. You genuinely won’t regret it.
More information: www.brotherandbones.co.uk
Live Dates:
13/10/12 – Wish You Were Here Festival, Cambridge
16/10/12 – The Cellar, Southampton
17/10/12 – The Hope, Brighton
18/10/12 – White Rabbit, Plymouth (w/Crazy Arm)
19/10/12 – Arts Centre, Bridgewater
20/10/12 – Jolly Farmer, Newton Abbot
23/10/12 – Fibbers, York
24/10/12 – Shipping Forecast, Liverpool
25/10/12 – Nice’n’Sleazy, Glasgow
26/10/12 – Deaf Institute, Manchester
28/10/12 – Head Of Steam, Newcastle
30/10/12 – Flapper, Birmingham
31/10/12 – Moon Club, Cardiff
01/11/12 – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London
02/11/12 – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
06/11/12 – Mama Stones, Exeter
07/11/12 – Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
08/11/12 – Soundhouse, Leicester
09/11/12 – Boileroom, Guildford
10/11/12 – Moles, Bath