Review: Midnight Brigade – Whatever We Never Had

Palmer reviews Midnight Brigade’s Whatever We Never Had.

Artist: Midnight Brigade
Album: Whatever We Never Had
Year: 2010
Music: Rock/Folk/Indie/Blues

This is my first non-metal review and I’m proud to stray from the genre with a band as beautiful as this. Midnight Brigade is a wonderful quintet from New Jersey that has set out to revitalize the indie-folk/rock movement. With a debut album like Whatever We Never Had they might just be successful enough to break past the glass ceiling that seems to hold so many folk/rock-hybrid artists down.

Their sound isn’t new, but it’s masterful in its presentation. Every recording is surprisingly well done for a band that’s just breaking through. Each track is a delight to listen to, allowing for a medley of emotions. Songs have obviously been carefully selected to portray a feeling and they each home in on that perfectly. The potpourri of genres explored in the songs brilliantly expands upon one another lending the unique feel of the album. The musicianship is strong and varied jumping from lonesome piano tunes that almost smother the listener in sadness to lighthearted folk songs with swing beats and major keys.

Pete Res’ lyrics are brilliant and perfectly capture images of lonely gas stations up in the hills, smoky kisses, and loves lost and found. His voice gloriously matches the atmosphere of each song he sings, scaling evenly with the mood and never losing footing. His voice is unique and takes some getting used to; it’s never perfect, but it’s perfectly flawed, which adds an instantly identifiable ‘everyday man’ quality to the vocals. Sometimes he seems a bit off-key but it’s somehow appropriate and never takes away from any of the tracks. I couldn’t help but compare his voice and lyrical quality to the likes of Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) or Chris Thile (Nickel Creek). His piano is spot on, flawlessly conveying the emotions of each song.

The rest of the band puts their mark on the album in subtle ways but when it all comes together I can only describe it as something beyond beautiful. Andrew Jaworski’s guitars are gorgeous, lending a bluesy feel to certain songs and complimenting the piano lines perfectly. There’s a part in ‘Ocean City’ where Andrew is playing a beautiful acoustic accompaniment to Pete’s piano and suddenly cranks the volume knob all the way up and comes in with a muddy distorted guitar sound that sends chills down my spine each time I hear it – it’s one of the most perfect examples of tone control I’ve ever heard. I can only hope that he has more opportunity to bring some of the impressive solo work I heard in ‘Keep In Touch’ and ‘Cowboy Song’ to some of their later albums.

Drums are fitting for the songs; light, never overpowering, and simple. I’d like to see Scott Greenberg (Drums) have a bit more of an opportunity to change things up from the simple beats, but for now it gets the job done. The bass is well done, but basic. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Midnight Brigade lost their previous bassist that accompanied them during recording, but I hope their new bassist Emily Haracopos is able to contribute more of a groove element into some of their more lighthearted songs. Sometimes the mixing muddies the bass and it gets lost in the tracks which is unfortunate, and aside from a couple tracks – including ‘Sandringham’, which sounds like a filler compared to the rest of the album – it’s the only complaint I have.

Overall, Whatever We Never Had is more than fantastic debut. I can only hope Midnight Brigade continues to hone their sound and fully flushes it out to its obvious potential. I can’t wait to hear more material from them and you should feel the same way. It’s going to be a while before they’re on an international level, but they’re an act everyone who admires the lighter side of music should be keeping their eyes on.

Verdict:

+ Outstanding debut production
+ Brilliant lyrics and musicianship
-  Some songs seem forced
-  Not enough opportunity for the rest of the band to truly shine

87/100

Best Tracks: ‘Keep In Touch’, ‘Cowboy Song’, ‘Me and Dave’, and ‘Trains – Somedays’

- Palmer Sturman
palmer@musicreview.co.za
www.twitter.com/despitefulminat