First things first – I won’t be kowtowing to the American band’s pressures and referring to Brakes as brakesbrakesbrakes or whatever they were forced to hang round their gizzards. While their URL might toe the line, the band have packaged themselves around the UK release now that they are on Fat Cat and thusly they will be Brakes around these parts moving forward. Several albums in, it seems pointless to recount the group’s formation, if it weren’t for the fact that it still seems to inform their work. Fronted by Eamon Hamilton, after his departure from British Sea Power, both bands seemed to have simplified their songwriting while increasing their sonic dynamics. More importantly has been the recent work by the White brothers in their Electric Soft Parade outfit. Much more concise, you can see that reflected back on the new Brakes disc as well.

The rub and roll of Brakes has always been a balancing act of snarky wordplay, kitschy subject matter and punk bursts intermingled with bracing sincerity and earnest pop hooks. Other bands have tread these lands, most notably the Pixies and Wrens, but Hamilton’s peculiar sense of humor (and accent) managed to wedge a unique place for his little songs. When it all came together in it’s most potent mix was with a country influence (anyone coming out to a night where I choose the tunes knows they will bask in The Beatific Visions “Mobile Communication” at some point.) That feel is largely absent on “Touchdown.” Making appearances, notably on the wonderful “Worry About It Later” and the old-timey jaunt of “Eternal Return” with the folkie wisp of  “Leaving England” that closes out the disc. The plaintive twang residing in that mournful exit has never been the only trick in the band’s bag however. In fact, with the White’s musical dexterity, anything seems possible at any point – should Hamilton push them in a chosen direction. And push they choo choo choose to do!

The biggest influences creeping in (or taking over) have been a riffing diet of Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3 mixed with power pop sweetness. Finding room to wedge in a mini version of the typical Spacemen 3 rave-up on opener “Two Shocks,” the space-theme of the design and title begin coming together. “Don’t Take Me To Space (Man)” makes a case for a bit of a concept album on our hands but then it is more likely to be the reading material on the bedside than a challenge to the misty heavens. The ripping power chords make me question that with their sheer power though. “Red Rag” drives its snare right through the heart before downshifting into an explosion. “Worry About It Later” gives way to the word games of “Crush On You” and the previously praised “Eternal Return.” (Which continues Hamilton’s rumination on failed forms of communication.) “Do You Feel The Same?” is the Archers of Loaf trying to cover The Raspberries and if that sounds pretty damn tasty then you are like me and you know what to do. It’s only a minute and a half but still finds time for a J. Mascis styled guitar solo.

“Ancient Mysteries” paints a wonderful picture of family bliss like a cheeky take on The Posies grunge dabbles. “Oh, Forever” winks it’s eye at you as it saunters into the room behind a Shirelles tambourine thump. It is a perfect slab of “Stoned and Dethroned” era Jesus and Mary Chain and that can never be a bad thing. “Hey Hey” bursts apart with the classic punky chutzpah the band has always tossed off effortlessly. “Why Tell The Truth (When It’s Easier To Lie)” plays the acoustic card in gorgeous fashion before blowing the clouds to the sides with a Monkee’s stomp before dreamily returning. “Leaving England” glides to the finish before returning  (a mechanism they have employed previously on album closers) with a hidden second half of Buddy Holly meets “Down on the Boardwalk” that makes me smile (complete with terrible whistling.) In fact, few bands make me smile like Brakes.

The design is fine but doesn’t crease my lips quite as quickly.  The band began things with a dry first record sleeve and then a pretty fetching portrait for their second long player and now find a graphic middle ground. The illustration style is lacking in… well… style. It is very competent but takes little in the way of chances – very dissimilar to the music within. The artwork adorning the package is only credited to “DLT” and it is sort of odd in that it is really a graphic exercise and not likely to be referred to as “artwork” in the true sense, despite being appropriate in it’s science textbook fashion of diagrams and spaceships.

As the last record was credited only to “Seth” for design and the first carried no design credit at all I have to wonder if this is stand-in for a band member at this point. I also wonder if the band were graced with a more dynamic wrapper (see Pixies via Vaughan Oliver and v23) if they wouldn’t connect to a larger and stronger audience. The real letdown comes in the credits and back page that only carry a knocked out white from the purple-tinged black grey base for type and a slight header graphic. Where are the dynamics so abundant on the music side of this operation???

It’s not a completely lost effort as the creation of the band name on the cover being made of stars is a little slice of brilliance and executed well. They also manage a nice play on the spine, but when I hold the disc label (much in the same vein as their previous releases) and it’s “hey there kitten, I am first generation CD” design, I am brought back to a “what could have been” mentality. The band simply deserves better.

Keeping score at home: Music: 8.0 Design 5.0

 

John Foster owns his very own design firm, Bad People Good Things and is the author of For Sale: Over 200 Innovative Solutions in Packaging Design (HOW), New Masters of Poster Design (Rockport), Maximum Page Design (HOW) as well as an upcoming collection of handmade graphics entitled Dirty Fingernails for Rockport and a monograph on Jeff Kleinsmith for Sub Pop Records.