Thompkins Square Rec.
Brad Barr : The Fall Apartment -instrumental guitar- (US,2008)****
Brad Barr mostly known for his work with rock bands the The Slip and Surprise Me Mr. Davis, also released this guitar solo release, which shows a young and ambitious varity on the guitar, between song music with beautiful melodies and tunes as expressions for instrumental guitar picking music, but also a few interesting and slightly experimenting ideas on a more percussive way of picking, and a bit more moody improvising, like on one track with some rain and thunder in the background, and on another track with more resonance on the guitar background noise of electronic sounds having the same effect as birds in the background with a very natural responding language of its own, then with a faster percussive way of playing (“Heart Shaped Box”). “Gin Gin” sounds like a happy old time tune with a bygone crafty lightness. His rock background is noticeable on the once more different approach on the track “Do I have to understand that” which hardly uses the guitar as a picking instrument, instead mixes ideas of resonance, electrification and rhythmic ideas to mix to form an instrumental. In general Brad Barr explores the guitar and shows with it his picking talent with entertaining compositions.
Brad himself says he was influenced by jazz and rock music, plays solo guitar in a classical / folk / improv / gnawa style hybrid. In his band he sing songs about love, loss, wine, youth, getting older, and nonsense.
