Monday, February 2, 2009

Old Abram Brown: Interview & Review (FINALLY!)

After it was published, then accidentally deleted, and so on, I finally have my article on Old Abram Brown ready. Therefore, it is now your responsibility to enjoy!

As I sip my hot chocolate hesitantly this numbing winter, I'm listening to Old Abram Brown, a Boston trio consisting of Carson Lund, Dylan Vukelich, and Erik Lund, whose debut album, Alive in Winter, not only nicely parallels this biting weather, but has become my quintessential "soundtrack" for winter.
Old Abram Brown's sound possesses a Cold War Kids-esque, edgy sound and the complimentary stark, frayed lyrics, such as the first few lines from "Will our Garden Grow?":

"We're so alive in winter, and we're so dead in spring, no one wants to hear the sound of the birds sing, world politics is something we don't know, but we're so stuck on will our garden grow"

When coupled with the bare, stark sound of the music, the music come to life - as songs should, and as it will with true musicians. It is obvious they put effort into their lyrics and their sound overall, as the band says that they are "committed to steering clear of banal "universality" in [their] lyrics", and with the myriad of inspirations for their music including film (one of the band members has his own blog that talks about film, you can access it here) childhood memories, made-up narratives, and "abstract imagery that may or may not mean much of anything", it isn't likely they'll be turning to "universality" in their lyrics anytime soon.
Besides the evident Cold War Kids ambiance of their music, Brown pulls from all sorts of artists and styles, the list including Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, gritty country, waltz, and even Mexican Trumpet. They are the music that you listen to time after time and still get a new perspective on the album. Their lives do also stem away from music - Carson is a librarian, Dylan is a busboy, and Erik is a graphic designer in college, which adds to the originality in their music. "
I think we all have our strong interests outside of music which I think helps influence our music" says the band, who say they "all realized at different times" that they wanted to do something with music.
If you want to listen to Old Abram Brown, their debut album Alive in Winter is available online through iTunes or their MySpace, www.myspace.com/oldabrambrown. Although their album is already released, their cd release party is happening at TT the Bears in Boston on Febuary 10th, and then they'll make their way down to Keene, NH at the Downstairs Mix-Up for April 17th, with some gigs most likely to show up between that time.

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