Touchdown

by Brakesbrakesbrakes

Overview

If the Brakes were the Pixies (a band that sounds very similar), Touchdown would be their Doolittle -- that is, a slightly more polished and accessible album than their last, showing the band tightening their reigns slightly and turning in some of their tightest, cleanest work to date. It's a genuine alt pop album, one that finds the former and current members of British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade, and the Tenderfoot more masterful than ever at churning out opaque, punchy melodies anchored by dry wit. College rock crossover potential seems evident, but, while Touchdown looks to appeal to a broader audience than its predecessors, that's not to say that things are overly toned down or have lost their edge. Things have simply been made less convoluted by trimming off the extra fat. Brakes, like always, exercise a wide variety of styles, and show off their ability to change their dynamic range drastically from one song to the next. "Red Tag" finds the group paying tribute to Radiohead, but in a much more furious punk rock fashion, "Eternal Refrain" is a sweet little country slice about the circular nature of life, and "Leaving England" is a relieving day dreamy space ballad ends the album. But as solid as these moments are, they're a little generic sounding in the overall context. The heart of Brakes lies in their true jams: immediate jingle-jangle pop songs with big, chunky choruses. And boy, there are a lot of them. ~ Jason Lymangrover

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2009
Label:	FAT CAT
UPC:	0600116998620

Tracks

1. Two Shocks
2. Don't Take Me to Space (Man)
3. Red Rag
4. Worry About It Later
5. Crush on You
6. Eternal Return
7. Do You Feel the Same?
8. Ancient Mysteries
9. Oh! Forever
10. Hey Hey
11. Why Tell the Truth (When It's Easier to Lie)
12. Leaving England

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Brakesbrakesbrakes   Primary Artist
Eamon Hamilton   Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Alex White   Keyboards,Guitar,Drums,Percussion
Thomas White   Vocals (Background),Guitar,Drums
Marc Beatty   Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Charles Douglas   Composer
Paul Savage   Engineer,Mixing
Brakesbrakesbrakes   Composer
Alan Douches   Mastering
E. Hamilton   Composer
Jamie Savage   Assistant