Sentiment-wise, this latest one from Brooks J Martin is the “California Dreaming” for the current age. This sonic wish fulfillment transports us from whichever cold clime we might currently find ourselves in and into the shimmering sun and “Clear Blue Waters” of the West Coast or whatever similar warm geographical embrace we seek.
But more than that, this track is a “coming out” or perhaps a coming clean moment for him. It might be his fifth album, but it is the first that he has released under his name; no aliases taken, no assumed characters to hide behind; the man is finally putting his given name to his music.
And why not, “Clear Blue Waters” is a gorgeous song, a blend of shimmering indie-folk and the sort of pop embellishments that Brian Wilson was so artful with as he turned good pop songs into extraordinary works of sonic art. Or the kind of thing that only Neil Young seems to be able to write with such ease, folk music, which is barely contained by such a label.
As a calling card, it’s brilliant, and even though he has a string of music behind him, under various alter-egos, this is where you meet the man himself. And you know what they say about first impressions?
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[…] like me, you found the earlier single, “Clear Blue Waters,” to be one of those songs that you stumble across thinking, “This is a song that sets […]
[…] guess the fact that Brooks John Martin‘s latest album, his fifth to date, has an eponymous title and a simple picture of himself on […]