OFFICIAL: http://www.jbriozo.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jbriozo/
Written
by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin
Hailing
from Minneapolis, Minnesota, J. Briozo is the singer/songwriter introductory
album from Jeff Crandall; vocalist/songwriter for Swallows. At the time of this recording, Swallows was
in-between their 2nd and 3rd albums, preparing to enter
the studio in order to do some tracking for the next record. A series of song ideas besieged Crandall and
deciding not to waste any time (and with the help of some of his Swallows band mates),
Jeff was able to complete his own LP entitled, Deep in the Waves.
This
13-track record moves from strength to strength as each song reveals different
amalgamations of Crandall’s songwriting prowess. Opening couplet, “Blind” and the title track
go for loose structuring and a sort of free-form experimentation that center on
acoustic and clean guitar melodies with cinematic accompaniment in the form of
keys and warped guitar FX on the former and an assortment of varying stringed
instrumentation during the latter.
Crandall’s voice is soothing with the requisite grit that both push the
material forward while allowing it to seep and sink softly into your
brain. “Beautiful Mess” streamlines the
song-composition for a verse/chorus/verse thematic that brings some soulful
acoustic guitars and vocals to the table and an especially introspective (and
catchy) chorus. Keeping the structure
while turning the music into a rough n’ tumble, bluesy rock firestorm,
“Spinning Out” intertwines grooving acoustic rhythm guitar with fret-burning
electrics as the drum n’ bass combo chips away at a craggy, mountainous 4/4
swing. The implementation of Hammond
organ applies some dazzling texture to the song though it’s mixed in the
background to leave the traditional rock band format to dish out most of the
damage. All throughout Crandall sings
his heart out in a more grizzled, gruff tone than he utilizes on some of the
other material.
“Rain
Song” dials down the mood to crystalline clean guitars, economical work on the
bass and myriad of strings and ambient sounds.
Something about the song rings of Pink Floyd influence and he even
manages to sound slightly like Waters or Gilmour in the process. A sonic tornado of heavy riffs punctuates “The
Big Parade’s” all go, no show attitude and segment featuring a horn section
inflects even more tongue tingling spices into Crandall’s recipe. The stripped down triplet of “Catatonia,” “Las
Cruces” and “Blue” are rife with Americana and are akin to the influential folk
music from a bygone era. Meanwhile, the
uplifting trip-out of “Firefly” and the dark, rippling beauty contained in
“Camera Obscura” are soundtrack piece that layer multiple strings atop the
acoustic guitar and world music electronica bedding. “Santa Cruz” also walks a parallel path, as
closer “Sun Sun True” returns to a hot and heavy blues rock crunch that
differentiates itself from similar tracks on the album by subtracting the
rougher blues vocals for more harmonies than you can shake a stick at.
Simply
put, Jeff Crandall can do no wrong on Deep
in the Waves. J. Briozo is
officially on my radar for projects to watch because if Crandall can produce a
debut this well-defined, then the sky’s the limit for future releases. If you like your blues, folk and rock to
proudly raise the middle finger to the rulebook, this is exactly the release
you’re looking for.
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