Brakes - The Beatific Visions

by P.D. Mason

Brakes: A Band With Balls

"The brief guitar-driven lunacy that formed the backbone of their first album is fully present in the should-be singles of ‘The Beatific Visions’: ‘Hold Me In The River’, ‘Cease & Desist’ and the psychotic political nonsense track ‘Porcupine Or Pineapple’ "

Brakes are technically a ‘supergroup’, if you look up the actual definition; consisting of Eamon Hamilton of British Sea Power and Tom and Alex White of the Electric Soft Parade. But instead of the coke-fuelled pomposity that usually comes with so-called ‘supergroups’; Brakes have something else: Balls.

‘Give Blood’, Brakes’ debut album of 2005, reinstored faith in good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll in that the whiff of bullshit that pervades most modern day indie rock records was absent. ‘The Beatific Visions’, their follow-up album, clocks in at 28 minutes, a whole minute shorter than ‘Give Blood’. The sound has also changed, to some extent.

Recorded in a fortnight in Nashville, Tennessee (it’s not hard to picture Brakes sitting on porches in the afternoon swigging whiskey) as a result, a few of the tracks – ‘If I Should Die Tonight’ and ‘On Your Side’ in particular – have a distinctly country feel. This album does indeed show another side to these crazed beatniks, ‘No Return’, the last and best track on the album is a haunting little song about “browsing through the record section of a shop in Birmingham.” It has sparse guitar, no drums and a string section, of all things.

However, these tracks are in the minority and the brief guitar-driven lunacy that formed the backbone of their first album is fully present in the should-be singles of ‘The Beatific Visions’: ‘Hold Me In The River’, ‘Cease & Desist’ and the psychotic political nonsense track ‘Porcupine Or Pineapple’ – just a minute or so of madness before it’s all over.

In days of wanky, whiney emo band and derivative indie pop band, Brakes are… well, real. “They’re all playing follow the leader,” sings Eamon. Brakes aren’t. Thank fuck.

maddy! said on December 20th 2007 [report abuse]

i lovE THe BrAkes THey arE AmAzinG!!!! Who WouLd'Ve THougHt THaT thIs IS pRetTy Much ThE oNLy SiTe ThaT dIdnt cOme Up WIth cAr ParTs!!!

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