What an exciting time today. You can now purchase 'Brett Gleason' by Mr. Gleason, the rockin' New Yorker. I am truly excited to share it with you, for I will admit I've had it for a bit. I had so much faith in Brett, I was a part of his Kickstarter crowdfunding project, and I am happy to tell you my investment paid off. You see, not only is Brett a handsome young man, he is also a talented musician with something to say. I have enjoyed his EPs, and I have also been impressed by his articles on Huffington Post. There is much to admire about this man.
'Brett Gleason' a combination of Brett's two EPs, 2010's 'Dissonance' and 2012's 'The Thawing'. For both those collections, Brett recorded the songs he wrote, playing all instruments and laying down the songs in his home studio, much like demo tracks. With the eponymous album, Brett has gone into a professional studio with a producer, giving the songs new life and new sounds. There is a new richness to the songs, as can be heard on the first track, "The Worst Part". Originally found on 'Dissonance', the new recording has added depth and strength. I talked about the first official music video shot for the album last week, and you can find the post for "Imposter" here. Earlier, Brett had released the music video for "Calculated" with the new track. You can listen to the track on this music video.
"Destruction" was the lead cut off 'The Thawing', and I enjoyed it greatly, But with the re-imagining, I think there is a stronger feel, and a greater crispness that serves the song well. I must admit, when I saw the music video for "I Am Not", I knew I was hooked on Brett's music for life. There is a wonderful honesty to it, as well as the exquisite musical progression that I found instantly irresistible. The new recording has a tightness that only intrigues me even more. "Polarity" was off 'The Thawing', but this new recording has a resonance that I just love. It really accentuates the experimental feel of the song. The seventh track is "Unruddered", and I feel the new version really pumps up the contrast. You can hear the new "Unruddered" for yourself.
Next up, we have the title track for the 2012's 'The Thawing'. The 2014 rendition is somehow both smoother and more discordant, and I don't know if I could love it more. "Futile and Fooled", the nineth track on the 10-song collection, was an instant favorite when I first heard it, and this recording only brings it closer to my heart. There is the improvisational feel of Frank Zappa, the smoothness of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and the psychedelia of King Crimson, all while sounding just like Brett Gleason. The album closes with "Idealize the Dead", which manages to be both dark and reverent, not an easy task. This one gives me a Moody Blues kind of feel, yet still fresh and new. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I love his music, for it allows my inner Rock geek to come out and play, and not to fear getting beat up by the straight boys. I can, and often do, crank it up on my iPod, and let Gleason transform my mindscape to places and textures I haven't imagined before. You can purchase 'Brett Gleason' from iTunes, Amazon, and BandCamp. For more about Brett, you can check out his official website. You can also 'follow' him on Twitter and Tumblr, and 'like' him on Facebook.
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