Cary Brothers - Under Control
Record Label: Procrastination Music
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Every time I hear a singer/songwriter that I don't like, I blame Bob Dylan. I curse him in my mind directly. "It was you, Bob Dylan. You are the reason for me wanting to hammer nails in my head while I listen to this guy with his baby-soft yet rugged voice and acoustic guitar." That being said, some excellent musicians have been spawned by the Dylan movement, including my favorite musician of all time. So I usually end up thanking the world for Dylan more than vice versa. And if Bob Dylan had any influence on Cary Brothers' new record, Under Control, then I owe him one more thanks.
Brothers has the perfect voice for the music he writes (he is a person, not a band of brothers with the same last name...I know, me too). Soft yet not contained, Brothers unleashes the full force of his phenomenal vocals on all ten tracks of Under Control. Complemented by a beautifully arranged musical landscape, Brothers lets his voice, well, do the talking on the stunning follow-up to 2007's Who You Are. The album jump-starts with "Ghost Town", an upbeat, rhythmic song highlighted by a soaring chorus. Right from the beginning, Brothers gives first-time listeners a good view into what to expect on Under Control, simply owning the song with his voice. Next up is the piano-led title track, which harmoniously soothes the listener's ears. As corny as it may seem, Brothers nailed the title of this record - if you're having a bad day and seem to be losing it, a listen to this album might just help get you back under control.
"Break Off the Bough" and "After the Fall" are a one-two combo featuring catchy choruses. The former is more guitar-centered than the previous tracks, making it great to sing along to. The latter hit me hard upon first listen, ultimately helping me realize that Under Control is quite obviously a candidate for the best album to of the year. Brothers' voice in both of these tracks reminds me slightly of some of Chris Carrabba's work in Dashboard Confessional, but Brothers executes his melodies flawlessly and with what seems to be an air of confidence. "Someday" starts off like a track off of The Killers' Sam's Town before cascading into yet another home run of a chorus. Skipping ahead a little, "Alien" is a collection of every good thing about Under Control. Piano-driven with an acoustic guitar providing the spark, this is the best track on the album. Each successive chorus gains another instrumental layer, showing Brothers' remarkable musicianship while not taking away from the accessibility of the track. Finally, the album closes out with two acoustic guitar-laden songs, both of which I thought would be successful in finishing the album. "Something About You" may be my favorite song on Under Control, but the beautiful arrangement on "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" justifies its placement as the last song.
The bottom line here is that Cary Brothers has released a record that, if anything is right in this world, will explode and be heard by everyone. Under Control is catchy enough to be accessible by the masses, yet shows enough heart and talent to satisfy the harshest of critics. Brothers' brand of indie rock has spawned songs that have been swallowed up by the media, and this record offers a few more numbers that have some radio potential. At the same time, the record offers a refreshing listen into a truly talented work of art in a world overrun by overtly shitty music. And although I discussed specific songs in my review, it should be made clear that there really are no bad songs on Under Control. If you buy one record for the rest of 2010, let it be this one, because Cary Brothers is too good to be limited by low record sales or poor concert turnouts. An album this good would have people flocking to his shows and lining up to buy it in my dream world, but instead we have nightmares like this. So don't download this album, go out and buy it. You won't look back.
Nothing interested about an album that will be in the top 5 of the year.
If you're really into songs that were in the background of Grey's Anatomy circa 2005, then agreed. If you're into anything remotely challenging, then the crystal clean production alone kills this album.
If you're really into songs that were in the background of Grey's Anatomy circa 2005, then agreed. If you're into anything remotely challenging, then the crystal clean production alone kills this album.
He did have songs that appeared on TV shows. They were on his previous release (came out in 2007 FYI). I don't understand what you mean by challenging, and I never knew that good production was such a terrible thing!
Titus Andronicus' The Monitor is my AOTY so far. After that is The Upsides then this.
I agree on Titus Adronicus ("The Airing of Grievances" is one of my favorite albums ever), but I think "The Upsides" suffered from the songs blending together too much, but in the genre, it's pretty common.
I agree on Titus Adronicus ("The Airing of Grievances" is one of my favorite albums ever), but I think "The Upsides" suffered from the songs blending together too much, but in the genre, it's pretty common.
Well it's a concept album so that's bound to happen. It's the best pop-punk record since Sticks and Stones, in my opinion.
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