The Phosphorescent Blues
IN A NUTSHELL:
Recommended for:
Folk, bluegrass, and indie music fans
Those who prefer acoustic instruments
Individuals looking for music to drink lemonade to
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Pros:
Instrumentation
Lyrics
Simple production
Cons:
Too ‘low energy’ for some
The Brooklyn based acoustic band is back. But let's be honest, you probably have not heard of them. This 2015 album is the fourth album released by Punch Brothers. This band was birthed in the prime hipster era. As the indie-folk fad begins to fade, interesting music is still emerging from this group. This album has roots in both bluegrass and classical. The album is entirely acoustic.
Photo by: Bryan Ledgard
Mom:
This week, I must hit the ground running with writing my review because I am STOKED, and had a lot of coffee today. This album is an odd mix of bluegrass, indie-pop, and classical that blends perfectly. Those three genres construct a plane that is defined by this group’s music. This album has the mature intellectualism and musicality associated with classical music, the instrumentation and rhythm of bluegrass music, and the accessibility of indie-pop.
Oooo Punch Brothers. They are not afraid to show off their musical technical abilities. The instrumentation makes for a fun listen. But, beyond that, the structure of the album is dynamite. Who opens an album with a 10 minute track? WHO MAKES IT WORK? This band does. Furthermore, the songs are beautifully dynamic and progressive. They are progressive in a literal sense. But, their songs also progress musically. This album is chock full of break-downs, interludes, and bridges. This band will make you forget that the old verse-chorus songs even exist. It is also a fairly short listen, 45 minutes ain't bad. Ok, real quick the vocals- they are a bit bland in terms of tonality. This being said, they use bluegrass harmonies, and blend very nicely. There are many layers to the harmonies and that is always enough to offset a weaker lead single vocalist.
In closing, this is a well put together album. I will even go a little further than my usual remarks, in terms of genre. I usually say something like “if you like the genre you’ll like this artist.” However, this time I’ll even go a little further. If you like any type of good instrumentation, any of the multiple genres listed earlier, or unique music as a whole, check these guys out.
Favorite Song: “Julep”
8.3/10
Melody Maker:
To anybody who hasn’t listened to Phosphorescent Blues yet, (which is probably many people) I would describe the album as if Alt-J went acoustic and folk, except that description does not do the album justice at all. Punch Brothers have crafted an album brimmed with refreshing musical elements, resulting in a Folk album that dodges redundancy. In fact, not only is this album not redundant, it’s a good listen throughout too.
Phosphorescent Blues has a fairly dark and modern sound to it, but it doesn’t get this sound by simply over-producing songs with heavy distorted bass or drowning everything in reverb. Punch Brothers instead fully utilize the ambience of their songs. There’s never too much going on in a song, which enables you to fully take in everything happening.
Anyone who has read any review I have written should know how much I appreciate musicianship. Well, this album’s got a hardy amount of it. As I just stated, this album has a dark and modern sound, and a big part of it is the classical influences and undertones that run around all throughout the album. These guys aren’t just strumming open chords on a guitar with a capo on. There’s some mandolin shredding, as well as some hard-fuckin-core chicken pickin’ on banjos and guitars. Also there are some air-tight vocal harmonies that are just so neat. The shredding on this album is also accompanied by some pretty decent songwriting. Songs like “Julep” are catchy, emotional, and lyrically intriguing. I was not in love with every song on this album, but the songs I dug, I dug hard.
So is this album good? Yes. Should you listen to it? Yes. Should the US intervene with Israel if they begin to take initiative in destroying Iran’s nuclear program? I don’t know, that question is very irrelevant to this review.
Favorite songs: “Julep,” “Little Lights”
7.8/10
Photo by: Sun Valley Center for the Arts
Magicfingers:
I was pleasantly surprised when listening to this record. I came into it expecting another mediocre bluegrass folk band with songs that all sound exactly the same, but Punch Brothers did not meet my expectations and that is a very good thing. They were much, much better than I expected. Their musicianship is fantastic, the range of instruments and tones is intriguing. The album was beautifully produced and each song gives its own flavor to a collective sound that is very pleasant to listen to.
Themes in the album were dark much of the time but also very uplifting at other times. Punch Brothers show that even bluegrass-roots folk bands can give an engaging performance AND still have unique songwriting.
It’s not something I’ll spend a lot of time listening to in the future, but when the mood is right, I think this album can really hit the spot. I’d recommend checking it out even if you're not into the genre.
Favorite Songs: “Familiarity”. “Julep”
7.6/10
If you plan on drinking some lemonade on your porch soon and want the perfect album to spin while you do this, check out Punch Brother's website to buy their music, merchandise and find info about tours and such things.
NEXT WEEK'S ALBUM: The Sun's Tirade
BY: Isaiah Rashad
Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.