BARR

When you can talk, you can talk. And Brendan Fowler of LA based, BARR, can talk. Or speak, I guess I should say, as in spoken word. But that's become such an unfortunate term, hasn't it? It conjures images of smug linguistic masturbators, or worse, preachy sentimentalists. But Fowler manages to separate himself from these traditions by abandoning any affected cadence or contrived structure and just making you feel like you're out for coffee with an old friend. It helps that the music is so catchy. Nothing complex here. Just a pretty piano riff or driving rhythm to compliment and unify whatever Fowler has on his mind, which is a lot. And while it may seem like he's spewing every last thought in these songs, they're deceivingly economical and well designed. Layered even. I've had him in heavy rotation for months and I'm still catching new things.

Anyhow, here's two of my favorite tracks...

"Untitled" BARR - mp3
"The Song is the Single" BARR - mp3

Buy BARR's second full-length, Summary (amazon)