Thursday, June 2, 2011

David Thomas Broughton - Outbreeding





















(Brainlove Records, 2011)

I guess we’re calling this the official follow-up to David Thomas Broughton’s seminal 2005 debut, The Complete Guide to Insufficiency. Are we? Which isn’t to say Broughton hasn’t been busy in the more than five ears since his debut. He release the odds and ends collection, It’s in There Somewhere and the collaborative experiment David Thomas Broughton vs 7 Hertz, and there have been some EPs of note within that timespan as well. Still, it’s been a long wait for this, Broughton’s sophomore effort.

And, wonderfully, Outbreeding delivers. If you listened to Boating Disasters, Broughton’s delicious 4 song EP from last year, you’ll already know good chunk of this album, but the new context of the songs is enough to set them off anew, and a full set from Broughton is irresistible. Like the EP, Outbreeding is a turn towards more straightforward songwriting, presenting Broughton and his inimitable voice more clearly than perhaps ever before.

This is a strength.

While the looped miasma of Insufficiency felt like a perfect introduction, Outbreeding seems like the only plausible forward step. Out of the mist, Broughton’s voice is heavily affecting and, steadied with more traditional folk song structure, his hard-cut poetics are as impactful as the tenor of his voice.

This is, hands down, one of the best records of the year.



Ain't Got No Sole from BROWN BREAD FILMS on Vimeo.

David Thomas Broughton - "Potential of Our Progeny"

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