First off, this album is not on spotify. Sorry, it's short, you can stream it on the bandcamp app or here. Get over it.
This album is easily in my top 10 albums of all time. It's weird and gorgeous and it creates an atmosphere that I've honestly never felt from any other music. Listening to Verisune is a completely unique experience for me and I'm interested to see if any of you feel similarly or get the same type of reaction at all. It's like the most nostalgia I've ever felt listening to an album mixed with the most contentment and excitement I've ever felt listening to an album. This is gonna sound very cheesy but I kinda of have to make it cheesy to fully communicate how much I love this album- it feels like hanging out with someone I've known my whole life or returning to a place where I hung out a lot as a kid and haven't seen in years. It makes me feel cripplingly 'comfortable' and 'at home' and that feeling has been just as strong the first time I listened to it as the 50th.
I could write probably a whole essay on this album but I restraining myself, just listen because I'm really interested in your responses to this one.
I know this album means a lot to you and that's great, but it didn't do much for me. This album is super heavy on the bedroom pop feel, which is cute but kind of limited in its novelty. It reminds me a bit of Moldy Peaches, early CSH, and even that Katie Dey album you shared. However, I think on the whole I like all of those more than this. To get more specific, it feels like it's supposed to be a pretty intimate album, but her voice is just too lazy for me throughout. It gets weird, but not too weird and not very often.
ReplyDeletePlant Boy was the one song I really really liked on this album. Its got some nice mixing in the beginning and the theremin-esque electronics that show up in-between the sung verses were a ton of fun. The song kinda feels like what I can only describe as sci-fi twee.
I had a difficult time listening to this album more than once. I just couldn't get passed her voice; I'm not into the effects she does with it and when she sings "normally" it fell pretty flat for me. That coupled with the super simple instrumentation made the album extremely boring for me. Whenever I thought it would get more interesting, the sound felt overdone and not well thought out. I know how much this album means to you which is awesome, it's just not something I can ever see myself listening to again.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked this album. I felt like I really wouldn't at first, but it was very pleasing to listen to the more time I gave it. This album gives off a lo-fi/DIY vibe without sounding too disjointed most of the time. That said, I will say that some moments felt a little too lacking in structure. I'm not really a fan of music that sounds like it was improvised on the spot, even if that's not the case. The song "In Touch" is sort of an example of this. I could also complain about her voice, but honestly it wasn't that bad most of the time and fit the lo-fi aesthetic without seeming too unconventional. Also, there is some neat guitar work on here and I think that's where the album flourishes most.
ReplyDeleteSure it's nothing that special and this album might not be that successful when cast into the void of similar sounding projects, but I am at least glad that it exists and you shared it with us.
I found this album to be extraordinarily O.K. She's definitely got a sense of melody and some of the songs (Lizard Eyes) display this more than others (In Touch). The former is an example of how Brittle Brian can use her skills to write good songs, the latter is an example of just another singer falling in to the Stephen Malkmus "I'm going to sing really lazily and it will sound cool" trap. Then there are songs like Devil where she sings about being depressed about thinking about Daniel Johnston which is overall a pretty depressing thought and the whole thing is like if twee met emo and I can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's it. The whole thing is kind of twee sounding. And, of course, I don't like the recording quality or lackthereof, but that's not Brittle Brian's fault. I'm just not into this style of recorded music (lo-fi, DIY, w/e).
In general, there were some pretty good songs, and the rest fell flat. As others mentioned, her voice is a bit rough around the edges and I think that plays into her favor for some tunes and really makes it harder to listen to some others.
I'll get it out of the way right off the bat, I enjoyed this. I didn't love it, but it is a nice album.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of many other projects, which I guess is its biggest issue, it doesn't do much to lift itself out of the crowd.
I found her voice enjoyable. As I've said before (I think on here...) I find weird or different voices endearing, as is the case here. At times it borders on "too cutesie" territory, but never quite crosses that threshold.
Her instrumentation is nothing special, but it serves its purpose well. It drives the songs forward, adequately backing the whole package. It reminds me of Phil Elverum in a way. The instruments driving the song forward, not distracting, but lifting up the songs around them.
I think what made it enjoyable to me overall is just the sincerity of it all. That might be the biggest charm of the lo-fi DIY movement. This album is no different. Despite its similarities to other projects, it remains an enjoyable experience because you can feel the weight of the emotion in the music. All the songs mean something to her, which makes them mean something to me too.
I love this album. Its weird, its cute, its honest, and its real. I've always liked bedroom pop because it always feels very sincere, but unfortunately, the majority of bedroom pop sounds either incredibly stale or generic, or it just lacks any real musicianship. Verisune to me is one of the best examples of an unknown solo artist putting out a low budget album and creating something magical. I love the basic instrumentation combined with the weird sounds. The simple instrumentation makes the album feel that much more intimate and I can just imagine it being performed in a small house party full of friends. Lizard Eyes is a great example of this and overall probably my favorite track on the album.
ReplyDeleteI hope that when she gets bigger (which she will) she'll come play Chicago so I can finally see her play live!