Brandon Adamson, Bright Colors that Fade

The school of “Quiet is the new loud” has become increasingly popular lately, having started with Nick Drake and continued through Elliot Smith to today’s artists like Jose Gonzales, but the genre unfortunately suffers from a lack of innovation — or, at least, the ability to make one song distinguishable from the last.

This is where we find Brandon Adamson on Bright Colors that Fade. The songs, most featuring Adamson’s vocal lines doubled only by single note keyboard lines, fail to distinguish themselves from one another. On the positive side, Adamson recorded the album in his bedroom, and the lo-fi quality of the album (whether intentional or not) gives it a personal quality much like the majority of Lou Barlow’s post-Dinosaur Jr. career. Songs like “Alternate Ending” and “Brandon and brandie” borrow a few notes from classical or well-known melodies, as well. When songs like “The Last Coup Fourre (pop version)” and “Partner in Time” feature simple drum tracks added with Adamson’s keyboard, but it’s amazing the difference the minor addition can make to the otherwise dull arrangements.