Reviews

I remember two or three years ago, one of the opening bands for Hopesfall caught my eye and I told myself that I needed to check those guys out and keep their name in the back of my head because for some reason I felt I’d be seeing it again.  Then, all of a sudden their name started showing up all over; on tour with that sickeningly emo band, Coheed and Cambria and the ever more talented Rainer Maria, playing the Skate and Surf Fest, and then again on tour with Sparta.  Finally, today in the mail arrived their new album on Fearless Records entitled “A Hostage and The Meaning of Life.”  With intense eagerness, I ripped open the wrapping and threw it on.  My expectations for this band were higher than that of most.  To add to that, I noticed that this album was produced by the one and only Alex Newport, who has worked closely with such scene leaders as The Mars Volta, Locust and At the Drive In.  If he thought that Brazil was worth the time of day, then so did I.               How many bands do you listen to that combine 3 different keyboards, saxophone, cello and violin bows on guitar strings with heavy drum machines, simple yet clean and subtle bass lines and somewhat traditional guitar riffs?  The sound is impossible to describe.  It’s like a Picasso; abstract and full of something, although you can’t exactly tell what that something is.  “A Hostage and The Meaning of Life,” isn’t just a follow up to a stunning debut EP, it’s a work of art, and as some might want to call it, magic.  Can you call Brazil a hardcore band? Sure.  But should you? No. It’s hardcore mixed with progressive rock and coated with experimental rock with a little grand piano sprinkled on top. Brazil has created with this album a genre of music all their own.  While at times it seems a bit messy, it’s that messiness that makes it what it is…if that makes any sense at all.               What most hardcore/emocore/whatevercore bands lack these days is real musicianship.  These days, ever scenester and his dad can rock power chords and bang on the drums.  Hey, isn’t that all you need to throw together a band anyway?  The guys of Brazil have something they don’t.  They are musicians.  Never in my life have I seen anyone tear apart a Korg keyboard like the keyboardist of Brazil, Nic does at live shows.  Singer Jonathon Newby doesn’t whine, he sings, and he does it well. As frontman, he not only plays the Saxophone on this album and sings, but he arranged all the string parts as well.   Everything is perfected and put together with the utmost attention to detail.  It shows they really care.  It shows that they’re not just in a band for the beer and the babes, they’re in it because music is what makes them who they are.  Frontman Jonathon Newby not only plays the Saxophone on this album and sings, but he arranged all the string parts as well.       Now onto the album itself.  The cover art, as well as the art inside is a work of art itself.  The concept was designed by Brazil them selves, and the images are capturing and mysterious.   Every song is different from the next.  It’s almost like I’m Dorothy walking along the yellow brick road and I keep running into theses songs, each different than the last.  Only, I’m not running away, I’m begging for more.  Favorite tracks include, but are not limited to “Fall Into,” “The Iconoclast,” and “Fatale and Futique.”  I’m trying to think of some criticism for this album, but I’m at a loss for words.  I will say one thing: not everyone is going to like this, simply because it’s just not for everyone. It’s deep and complicated and full of art.  For me, this is on my top ten of the year so far.  You’d be a fool not to at least give them a listen.  Brazil is on tour with Sparta at the moment, and tour dates can be found at fearlessrecords.com.  You haven’t heard Prog Rock until you’ve heard Brazil play live.  While I hate giving out perfect ratings, I’m giving this album five stars because it completely blew me away.