REVIEWS

Brother John
Average (Part 1): Numerator

The Beechfields

Posted: Wednesday, January 03, 2007
By: Sarah Masear

Released on indie label The Beechfields, Average is stuffed to the gills with multi-instrumental flights of fancy, exploring a myriad of textural concepts under the wide umbrella of experimental music. Buried within the click + cut chaos are profound "Eureka!" moments, as in the album's crowning achievement, "Surface Tension." Theremin-esque whistles hover over a cauldron of percolating synths as an off-kilter verse erupts into cathartic wails and slamming beats. The epic chorus hits only once, leaving the listener stunned and craving more. The order is promptly filled with "Piss Off," an Air-influenced psychedelic romp which finds John's voice morphed into a choral falsetto, accentuated with swallowed blips, laser gun zaps, and romantic French overtones. Elsewhere, the compositions smack of sonic fingerpainting; the clipped tangents of a hyperactive child, never lingering long enough to fully engage. Songs are often abruptly halted, prematurely aborting ideas that could've matured into potent panoramas. The good news is that Brother John is unfettered by genre clichés, such as pretentious 15 minute ambient opuses or convoluted, fussy programming. Instead, he offers a veritable feast for the right brain, fraught with catalytic morsels of sound. If this imaginative tunesmith allows his future creations room to breathe, the possibilities are infinite.