Braidwood “Almost Lost My Nerve”
Canadian Brent Braidwood takes his love of early Beatles and turns it into rousing original songs that are hard to dismiss. “Left To Wonder” has the harmonica, tambourine, harmonies and Ringoesque drums guaranteed to put a smile on your face. “Love’s Run Dry” is another fast-paced gem. Braidwood crafts magic here, as he doesn’t emulate the Fabs exactly but takes enough elements to make it a lot of fun for fans of Beatlesque music. A special hats off to lead guitarist Scott Robert Anderson, his riffs on “A Girl Like You” are precise.
During the albums second half a few odd tracks feel out of place like the country blues of “Some Say It’s Murder,” and Brent’s vocal isn’t as compelling on the less Beatley stuff. The exception here is “So It Goes,” that reminds me of early Todd Rundgren. Definitely worth it for fans of Burning Ferns and The Spongetones.
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Dragon “Happy Sound Comfort Songs” EP
This is a collection of six demos by guitarist, songwriter William Wenaus. Fans of early Weezer will like the dense guitars in “Nacho Cheez” and on “Sunny Ferguson” we get pretty decent love song. Williams vocal limitations are apparent, and the drum machine is a real limitation but with some proper producing I’m sure it would sound fine. The themes of teen isolation are familiar on “Decent Girl” and “No Hope,” but without a trace of irony it does feel a little whiny. There is a germ of boldness in “Ms. Someone,” and if you can look past the flaws its an earnest and charming song.
Each time I listen to Almost Lost My Nerve I am more impressed then the first. I am constantly hearing lyrics and instruments that I did not notice before. I find myself singing along and humming out the tunes as I go about my day. A real delight to listen to and I am waiting patiently for Braidwood’s next release. Kudos to Braidwood.