Imagine yourself on a blanket on a lawn on a summer evening. You’re fully aware that someone is about to set off fireworks. With a raised eyebrow and sarcastic tone, you’re thinking, “Oh yeah, this should be fun.” The first box of explosives is a dud, but then the next box actually begins to rattle. You look up and see streams of orange and white become multi-colored flourishes expanding as you hear shrieks and booms. You also hear the people around you. “Oooooohhh.” “Ahhhhhhh.” “That was my favorite.” “That’s so beautiful.” By the next round, you are chiming in as if you are a fearless 8-year-old. When the show is over, you are full of awe.
Fireworks.
That’s what Brenn reminds me of.
They are enigmatic, intense and provocative – not your everyday bottle rocket or sparkler – but rather a pyrotechnics dream of spirals, comets, bursts and crackles. Each track on their Come Back To Aria EP features a curiosity-seizing unpredictability of “Where are they going with this? How could this possibly get any better?”
Come Back To Aria offers soaring guitar, intimate keys, driving bass, sanity-questioning taps, fluttering electronic whooshes and gentle yet forceful vocals clamoring for your consideration. The music and lyrics are comparable to that of a supportive friend’s hand on your shoulder during a lapse in optimism. “Be What We Can” comforts a new, hesitant relationship, while “Thomas” reminds us to just breathe.
The two must-hear tracks have to be “I Like You I Do” and “Rooms.” The first is simply an ingenious achievement of atmosphere – you can hear heartstrings reverberating while maintaining a steady pulse. The second is a study in tone, tempo and structure. I would love to write a video concept for it involving time-lapse technology of a building going up, the band playing on the roof, then falling through people’s apartments and offices as the building collapses. Overall, they are engineers of sonic and aural landscapes akin to Muse, Radiohead and Coldplay.
Most of Brenn’s songs have those “wait-for-it” and “a-ha” moments. A wait-for-it moment is when the song is in its plateau stage, unbeknownst to you. You think it’s nearly over then boom! The band brings it back stronger and better than you ever could have predicted. An a-ha moment is when you hear a short melodic fragment that hooks you, most of the time in the beginning, and you are eager for them to bring it back toward the end, to bring the song full circle. When they do, a-ha, there it is. I love those moments in music.
I once overheard a girl say that Brenn makes music to make-out to. False claims have been made against me as well, in that I like Brenn because they are attractive fellas. Both statements are true in their own way. Make-out music is not a terrible assessment, just an extrinsic one. Dig a little deeper and there’s no easy love there, but one that has to be coddled. Kissing is easy, the plausible emotion isn’t. As for me, while the members of Brenn are four hot guys, level of attractiveness has never been a key factor in my music tastes. I mean, I love The Cure, but Robert Smith is not exactly my type of dude.
In Philadelphia, before appearing on The 10! Show.
Band mates Joel Larabell (vocals, keys), Jonny Gradone (guitar), Ryan Herrmann (bass) and Chuck Starks (drums) met while attending Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. In 2005, they formed From Brenda With Love, the namesake in dedication to a facetious landlord. The name has since been shortened to Brenn, and a bird logo has been adopted. Jonny further explained the Brenn could refer to many different things such as an island in the Chronicles of Narnia, a World War II light machine gun or “some girl that was each of our lover at one point in time. At least that’s what I say … anyway, it’s a name, its short and sweet and we like it.”
They’ve since toured relentlessly and have been easily accepted by the local college radio stations before even arriving for the sound check. Live, they writhe and boomerang with every confession. I’ve seen Joel stomp his size-10 boots so intensely that I anticipated a hole in the stage, Ryan unleash a reluctant pogo, Jonny play while lying on the ground and spinning and Chuck, while a bit constrained behind his kit, stand and pound the mf’ers with all his might.
Photo credit: Marisa Mlynarek.
I asked Jonny about their songwriting process.
“Our song process has changed and is changing right now. Music usually came first in the process. As we get older as a band, we are starting to focus more on lyrics and melodies. I personally think that is the foundation for any song and what makes people come back to a song. We are still and probably will always be trying to find what works best for us. I like to keep it as organic and unforced as possible. The good thing about the four of us is that we have two good starters, Joel and Chuck, and two good finishers, Ryan and me.”
Then I caved and asked the loaded question, “Where in the hell did you guys learn all this?”
As it turns out, Jonny is the only player with a few years of guitar under his belt. The others began learning just before Brenn. They are currently considering taking lessons in order enhance their abilities. That astonishes me. They sound more mature and classically trained as if they were born with instruments in hand.
The new songs, that have premiered online and at shows, are definitive of their growth and potential. “Vakate” has a stellar ending that, again, you won’t be expecting. Joel adds a few good whoa-oh-oh’s in “Secret Mission.” But “City Lights” is Chuck’s song. His triple-threat kicks own it. While delivering my compliments, he told me that he wrote it while in Pittsburg and missing Nashville.
What’s next for Brenn? After the new album is complete, I predict more touring, a SXSW gig and an invite to the Reading or Glastonbury festivals. Lofty? Maybe. Possible? Definitely.