Brass Camel: “Brass” (2022) – Album Review

Summary

Brass is an infectious and often surprising transmogrification of blues, funk, and prog elements into a satisfying whole. Brass Camel delivers a wondrous slab of sonic wizardry, channeling fireballs of rock’s epic past but weaving them into an eccentric yet intoxicating new vision.

Album Info

Hot-Take Review

“C*ck Rock Kansas”

Wait wait wait, come on back readers. And yeah that includes you, whatever partners and advertisers I’ve confabbed and collaborated with (currently: nil).

I’m going somewhere with this. Listen, if you put big brass balls on your album cover, you’d best be Mick Fleetwood or else bring the musical goods to walk the walk.

[SPOILER ALERT: Goods have been brought…]

First of all, let’s get this out of the way: this album was released eight months ago, so way to keep your eye on the prize, Mills. Your friendly Park Rangers here enjoy focusing primarily on new(ish) releases, usually no more than a month or two out at best, so an album review at this time isn’t even super-late; it’s bemusing, quizzical, and other equally Thesaurus-chewing descriptors of puzzling woe.

But a couple of things happened along the way: (1) I didn’t really start with this blog until about three months ago (Feb 2023!), (2) I drove an ’87 Fox Body Mustang GT 5.0 convertible for seven years, (2.5) If you ask me if I drove an automatic, I will feed you to the troll in the basement, and (3) Brass Camel’s debut album Brass dropped in September 2022 and it completely flew under my radar.

And it really shouldn’t have, because I was a massive fan of 2018’s Daniel James’ Brass Camel, which seems to be another band or solo project altogether. It was this perfect amalgamation of blues, rock, funk, and prog, and I streamed the hell out of it. I remember excitedly telling my wife that the album “… was kind of like Lenny Kravitz, but actually really good!” She almost punched me in the face.

(No no, Lenny’s great, tremendous talent, but anyway…)

Fast forward five years, and I found that the band had re-emerged simply as Brass Camel, although vocalist and guitarist Daniel Sveinson’s tone, style, and swagger is unmistakable. Brass veers more to the side of Yes, Genesis, ELO, and especially Queen, but the freewheeling kineticism of bluesy hard rock is inescapable, and you just can’t stop the funk. Where would you put it?

Brass is an infectious and often surprising sonic repository of blues, funk, and prog, transmogrifying these elements into something entirely… entirely Brass Camel, I suppose.

There are entirely too many joyfully entertaining moments on this record to capture in a single review. The album opens with the ’70s Styx/Kansas-inspired instrumental of “First Contact”, which transitions into the hook-filled blues AOR of “Dinger’s In The Back” (which in turn zaps you with a sudden dip into Queen falsettos — more on that in in a minute).

Hence our gotcha opening sentence way up at the start of the review…

Bassist Curtis Arsenault apparently also drives a Fox Body Mustang, the subject matter of the groove-rock “I’ve Got The Fox”. The tune revisits a bit of Freddie Mercury falsettos during the bridge. Plus a sweet synth solo as well. “Pressure Cooker” conjures Isaac Hayes from the start. This unabashed funk-rocker satisfyingly mines Gimmer Shelter themes with blistering fretwork and a wicked tight rhythm section from Arsenault and drummer Wyatt Gilson.

The fizzy bouncy Beatlesque pop of “King For A Day” gives way to a swirling prog interlude, as if to remind us that those who claim to have all the answers are full of horsepucky and inevitably wouldn’t know what to do with power if they ever actually had it. Except abuse it, of course.

“Last Flight of the Vulcan” dials up the 70s prog with an engaging ode to Cold War-era British nuclear bombers (The Kinks’s “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”, not quite), but “Easy” brings the Queen love back to the forefront, perhaps a bit too on the nose. Not that I’m complaining; this track is a blast. Even though the band could have reportedly hired Supertramp’s former sax player for a handsome £500 sum to perform the solo outro, guest musician Mike WT Allen absolutely slays it on the horn.

Some tasty slide guitar opens “Shaking in my Boots”, a Southern-fried boogie infusion with an Allman/Crowes drive and notable backing vocals from Tyler Lanigan. And finally the album closes with “Only Love”, a heartfelt plea for tolerance, compassion, and understanding, even when the world falls into shadow. It’s a hopeful ending to what has already been an uplifting (if entirely zany) record, especially with that massive prog explosion as a finishing move.

And Brass delivers, faithful readers. Sveinson, Arsenualt, and Gilson rock you, roll you, and Cruella de Ville you (callback) into a pounding, funky, bluesy, proggy rock-and-roll talis party (almost exactly like a toga party, but considerate to those who have to work in the morning). With all its zany hooky goodness and pulse-pounding grooves, Brass remains a wondrous 40-minute slab of sonic wizardry, conjuring fireballs of rock’s glorious past and weaving them into an eccentric yet intoxicating new vision.

What similar albums does ChatGPT recommend?

While it behooves me to remind my readers that everything you just read is 100% Mills, let’s ask our friendly neighborhood AI for some similar album recommendations.

If you enjoy the sound of Brass, I’d recommend exploring the following five albums from the past 20 years. These albums, although from different artists, share a blend of rock, prog, blues, and funk elements that should resonate with Brass Camel fans.

1. The Black Keys – “Brothers” (2010): This Grammy-winning album is chock-full of bluesy rock goodness. With Dan Auerbach’s gritty guitar riffs and Patrick Carney’s pulsating drumming, it’s a must-listen for any fan of blues-inspired rock.

2. Tame Impala – “Lonerism” (2012): Tame Impala’s second studio album is a modern psychedelic masterpiece with progressive elements, offering a different yet enticing sonic perspective.

3. Rival Sons – “Pressure & Time” (2011): Rival Sons blend elements of blues, rock, and funk, creating a sound that is distinctly their own. Fans of Brass Camel’s more bluesy elements might find a lot to like here.

4. Greta Van Fleet – “Anthem of the Peaceful Army” (2018): Greta Van Fleet has been making waves in the rock world for their reminiscent sound of classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin. This album is filled with hard rock and bluesy numbers, coupled with impressive vocal performances.

5. Snarky Puppy – “Culcha Vulcha” (2016): For fans of Brass Camel’s more funky and experimental tendencies, Snarky Puppy’s fusion of jazz, funk, and rock will hit the mark. “Culcha Vulcha” won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Remember, music is very subjective, and these recommendations are based on the blend of blues, rock, funk, and prog that Brass Camel presents. Enjoy discovering these new sounds!

Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI to Mills, 9 May 2023.