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***After releasing the textured and complex Single Crown Postcard in 2003, Derek Richey decided a change of approach for Brando was in order, and with 943 Recluse, set out to make a record that recalled the early days of the band, when all their recording took place on a 4-track. With neither the luxuries nor the constraints of a proper recording studio, the goal was to record their songs in their most elementary state, with refreshingly little concern for fancy recording tricks. The songs here, against all odds, shine as bright as the most impeccably produced albums anyone's ever heard. Richey's songs have much in common with lo-fi legends Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout. He flashes a deep appreciation of various aspects of '60s rock, ranging from upbeat, summery pop to wacked-out psychedelic excursions, all tied together by an equally deep fondness for early-'90s indie giants like Sebadoh and Pavement. Ten years into the life of the band, Richey has proven once and for all that he's quite simply an outstanding songwriter, the kind whose songs exist beautifully regardless of circumstances; they remind those obsessed with rock music why it is they are in the first place. |
