BRYAN REYNOLDS
"Spring Peppers"
(Mythril Strap Records)




Spring Peppers is a seemingly random assortment of tracks by Providence, Rhode Island songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Bryan Reynolds (that admittingly came out in 2011). It opens with a song called “Mist Your Little Failure”, a fairly deconstructed, very strange, sophistipop song.The album has a unique, fresh take on lo-fi engineered hauntology and experimental pop songsmithing, recalling more the Residents than Ariel Pink, John Maus, or R. Stevie Moore. Reynolds voice is bold and unique even when the lyrics seem obtuse.

Reynolds mastery of guitar, drum programming, hand drums, and drum kit are apparent throughout. There is a bizarre tribute to Salvador Dali which repeats “I put a lobster on a phone” over and over and over and over with a strident confidence. “It Shines (Because Its Real)” is a catchy abstract shoe gaze song.

Some of the tracks are reminiscent of cable access grade science fiction scores. Elements of industrial such as Coil or O.L.D. is apparent in the electronic driven tracks. The final acoustic track, A Tame Lion III might be the best of all. If you’re looking for a thought provoking collection of experimental music that is heavy in the music department and light on the experimental, this might be a great listen. Longggg SOLD OUT!

https://bryanreynolds.bandcamp.com/album/spring-peppers

-“Jamband” Josh Brown