Brian Lee creates an incredibly interesting style of music on “Moth”. The type of sound that issues forth during “Love To Me” is beyond description. This eclectic bit of guitar and lightly-smattered drums, topped off with a male and female set of vocals, ranges the gamut of styles from Beatles-era pop, to indie, alt-country, and even Conor Oberst-types of emo. This means that there is a panoply of contexts that listeners can operate in when they listen to “Moth”, and requires that fans continually pop the disc into their players to see what all Lee intended to do with this LP.
“Wrapped Up In Books” is a nicely-polished bit of dreamy pop that showcases all elements working perfectly together. Whether it is the driving drum beat or the Ben Gibbard-influenced vocals, “Wrapped Up In Books” represents one of many single-worthy tracks to be had here. Lee strikes while the iron is hot with “Glad You Are Mine”, crafting a fanciful instrumental backdrop on which his vocals can work magic. This track reveals that an iPod’s buds may not be the best way to listen to the disc; the mastering here breaks up the arrangements to marvel listeners through different speakers. As listeners continue through the album, and particularly as they continue in tracks like “Devil Hunting”, they will be hit by the realization that Brian Lee will surprise and utterly shatter any preconceptions that they may have had.
Each following track on “Moth” operates with a different set of influences and approaches taken to crafting the track in question – “Boys Don’t Cry” uses emotive guitar lines and scintillating pacing to make for the disc’s most catchy track. The ten songs on “Moth” represent the different sides of Lee, and the success that he has had on the title makes me think that he can fill up another set of albums with yet another collections of tracks that provide a snapshot of where he is at at the current moment.
Top Tracks: Wrapped Up In Books, Glad You Are Mine
Rating: 8.4/10
Brian Lee – Moth / 2010 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.brianleemusic.net
