Brakes...

Oh, smack. Here we go again. Don't ever say I didn't ever give you nothin' because once again dear reader I'm hipping you to the delicious. Brakes is a strange and naughty little side project by Eamon Hamilton from British Sea Power, Tom and Alex White from the Electric Soft Parade and Marc Beatty from The Tenderfoot. If you're reading from Britain I imagine you've already heard of these folks, but here state side they're nobody. Hopefully that will change when their record Give Blood hits over here. Sure, there's a certain smug brit distance in their music that never translates well to Yank ears, but there's also a refreshing punk rock meets brit more beer please attitude here. None of the songs on Give Blood are longer than 3 minutes. In fact many of the songs clock in under 2 and there are a couple under 30 seconds. I'm not saying that short = good. It's more like brevity. Imagine the hookiest parts of a Fountains of Wayne song reduced its purest essense. It's guitar pop with only hooks and no filler. It's refreshing, fun and not to be stewed upon or fucking Pitch4orked to death. Eamon's voice is odd and not at all tuneful, but it works on these poppy punk compositions. Best played loudly.

from Give Blodd:

I Can't Stand To Stand Beside You

Ring A Ding Ding