The Barr Brothers' record

[bradm]

I love the record by The Barr Brothers. First up, it exceeded my expectations: if Brad, Andrew, Sarah, and Miles Perkin had just gone into a studio and recorded a set of live-off-the-floor acoustic tunes, I would have been really happy, because that would have been a great record.

The record they produced, though, goes 'way beyond that, with a strong sense of being studio-constructed soundscapes, aiming for Beatles and Beach Boys territory, at times. (I know there are those who think The Slip's Eisenhower was over-produced, and while there's a lot of production on The Barr Brothers' record, because it works from an acoustic basis, the production ends up creating an enriched soundscape, rather than producing an overpowering one.)

There's also some great flat-out shredding from Brad, especially in "Give The Devil Back His Heart" and "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Cryin'" and "Deacon's Son", and even a couple of tunes that I haven't heard them do live yet, despite having gone to as many Barr Brothers (aka Berithan Berio, aka Berithen Berio) shows as I could. That, along with the real sense of group identity you feel when you listen to the record makes me really excited for this as an ongoing project.

Aloha,
Brad

[pete]

I completely agree. It's the most exciting studio project I've seen from members of The Slip, ever. I guess that could have been because of the lack of preconceptions I had when I bought the disc, but I don't think so. It really stands up to repeated listening - I've probably heard the whole thing 20 or 25 times at this point.

[johnhk4]

'deacon's son' reminds me of that old slip 'kurdistan' or 'instrumental' that used to lead into 'song' around 2003 2004. droo usually played flute and led the audience in syncopated clapping. while the main riff is not the same, the tonal quality and lower chords in the next section are definitely derived from that one. very very cool !!!

[gbrignoli]

deacons son is great. very ali farka toure sounding. check out the song 'asco' or other songs off the niafunke album

[Big Bob]

is the record available? where can i get it?

edit: ah, i saw on their website that they said to e-mail them. i did so.

[bradm]

Ottawa XPress gave the recording four and a half stars in their review:

The Brothers Barr, whom you might recognize as the core of well-respected Boston rock trio The Slip, have been sucked up into Montreal's musical community and have spit out a beautiful, subtle and joyously listenable album. The album is low-key but so pro: Brad Barr's growing rep as one of the city's tightest guitarists is on full display, and his brother and the great players he's assembled (who've played with Land Of Talk and Lhasa among others) are utilized expertly. Quiet ballads, like the near heart-breaking Cloud (For Lhasa), and the textured build and warm vocals of opener Beggar in the Morning, set you up to be floored by the electrified devil-at-the-crossroads of Lord I Just Can't Keep From Cryin'. Get this.

Aloha,
Brad

[putty]

great album. if anyone here hasn't gotten it yet, i definitely recommend that you do. it has a great feel to it, that is only found on their albums. Eisenhower's production kept it from having this warmth. So glad to have another piece of art to add to the collection.

[bradm]

I'm listening to "Old Mythologies" right now, and it occurred to me: The Barr Brothers isn't so much a guitar/harp band, it's more of a two-guitar band, with one of them just happening to be really big and with a lot of strings.

Aloha,
Brad

[bear]

is that like saying the slip is a two guitar band except one of them has less strings and is in a lower octave?

Clearly she mostly arpeggiates the song's chords, or in Ooh Belle's case accents the 2nd and 3rd beats with her own chord inversions. But that is what a Harp player does, right?

I guess I dont understand the statement. Is phish a 2 guitar band except one has more strings which are attacked by hammers instead of fingers or picks?

[lucasdavidsamuels]

i think it was just a comment in passing

[bradm]

i think it was just a comment in passing

It was, and I said it in the heat of being in the middle of listening to "Old Mythologies".

is that like saying the slip is a two guitar band except one of them has less strings and is in a lower octave?

Clearly she mostly arpeggiates the song's chords, or in Ooh Belle's case accents the 2nd and 3rd beats with her own chord inversions. But that is what a Harp player does, right?

I guess I dont understand the statement. Is phish a 2 guitar band except one has more strings which are attacked by hammers instead of fingers or picks?

I apologize; I overstated my case. I also didn't mean it dismissively: one of the things I like and admire about Sarah's harp playing on the record is how she's able to make it have a full-on harp sound in some places, and more of a second-finger-picked guitar sound in other places.

Aloha,
Brad

[bear]

yeah, i can see that. sorry, i didnt mean to sound like a jerk i was just trying to create a discussion.

[GeMeNeYe]

I keep coming back to how gorgeous this record is - in composition (music and lyrics), performance, and production. It's a beauty and I can't stop listening to it.

Old Mythologies might be my favorite, but Devil's Harp and Beggar in the Morning, too.

My my my, what a treat.

[gruszy]

I suppose I've been out of the loop for too long, but I'm not aware of this record. I looked on the website with no success (perhaps I'm missing something?). Could someone pass along the email address I should write to in search of said album??

Many thanks and pleasant blessing for the new year!

-Amanda

[harrymcq]

http://www.thebarrbrothers.com/

Click on "Press Here To Order"

Great record...