Chris Brokaw and Geoff Farina - The Angel's Message to Me (Dambably)
3/5
By: Stephen Maughan
Chris and Geoff may sound like the most average names you can think of, but rest assured these two are anything but average, and have produced some real classics in their time. Brokaw was the drummer for Codeine before leaving to front Come in 1990. He now plays guitar for the likes of Thurston Moore and Evan Dando. Meanwhile, Farina spent 12 years fronting indie-darlings Karate before forming Glorytellers (who Rockfeedback promptly awarded 5 stars last year).
The Angel's Message to Me is the sound of two towering figures of indie rock bringing their unique, crisp guitar blend to some worthy American classics of the first part of the Twentieth Century. They whip through great composers like Leroy Carr, Irving Mills, Blind Arthur Blake, and err, The Kentucky Ramblers (ok, I've no idea who they were, but they “ain't going to wait no tables, ain't going load no coal” which is a spirit that has to be admired) with a freshness which allows the original spirit of these songs to flourish.
Half of the songs here are familiar to any charity shop hunter as dusty records from another era, from the traditional 'Poor Wayfaring Stranger' (perhaps best known now for the Johnny Cash version) to LeRor Carr's subtle heartbroken tale ‘In the Evening’, but the immediate attraction of The Angel's Message to Me is the life and spirit Brokaw and Farina have given these old classics. They do not merely replay them chord-by-chord, yet nor do they so distort the originals that would have the composer ghosts roaring from their tombstones. Indeed the sense of joy and love that Brokaw and Farina obviously have for American blues is deeply contagious, and gives the album an upbeat feel despite the often bleak subject matter. Sharing vocal duties works a treat here, Farina's soothing jazzy style works wonders on 'In The Evening', while Brokaw's husky cowboy style fits perfectly for ‘Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor’.
Brokaw and Farina are middle class, respectable elder musical statesmen, and this is clearly an album that allows them to explore their favourite songs. The only thing missing, and this is through no fault of the performers, is that it feels too much like a celebration of another time, so the emotional fragility which some of these performers originally wrote some of these songs – on their last penny, nursing a broken heart, and on fading health – cannot be recaptured here. It could be said that Brokaw and Farina have their own records to do that, and that this is more a celebration of some great songs.
As you'd expect from such accomplished guitarists, the playing is exceptional, and it is a credit to the both players that they have managed to cover these songs in their own style while remaining true to the original. It's a summer album, the bluesy broken-heart vocals and the lazy feel of dusted down guitars demands on the listener to take it easy, to slow down a moment and listen to tales from another time.
The Angel's Message to Me is an enjoyable ride, the kind of album that you could blaze out over a summer BBQ, and watch your grandfather rise out of his chair in shock at hearing a song from his childhood his dad use to love. It's an album for that summer drive to the beach, with your beloved by your side humming along to “If you treat me mean, I'm going to turn my back on you”, and it's an album to play at the end of the day where you can shake your head sadly at the brutality of love. I'm already hoping there's another one, and what would enlighten it even more is if Brokaw and Farina perhaps brought in a few more obscure songs from the early 20th Century to bring to life in a similar manner.
Artists in this article: Chris Brokaw , Geoff Farina
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