Charity Bliss - The Wolf That Brings Flowers

​Charity Bliss

The Wolf That Brings Flowers
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Charity Bliss is a band from Connecticut pretty much consisting of one dude named Brendan Machowski. He released The Wolf That Brings Flowers which is a professional sounding album with some undeniable good songwriting.

He likes to rock and write catchy hooks. Comparisons to a band like Jimmy Eat World make sense but I also heard a lot of other influences in there as well. 

Listening to the first few seconds of “Against The World” I thought I was listening to a Coldplay song but was quickly proven wrong. Machowski has a familiar sounding voice. He has this inflection that makes him sound young. You hear it a lot in power pop and pop punk bands. And there is some pop punk in this song. All things considered there are some really catchy parts. For instance when he sings, “You've got something that I want to use / Against the world.“ There are also some explosive moments such as right around the three-minute mark.

Up next is “Wisdom Teeth” which continues in the power pop/pop punk style. The production is top notch. Subtle synth effects make a difference. That being said the song is mostly made of guitars which support his voice. The song is all about hooks and there are plenty of them.

“Quiet Life” comes out of the gate exploding and going into some interesting space towards the end of the song. He does these mini build ups while his distant vocals are in the background. You know when the big build up comes which leads into the chorus.

“Fair Weather” is the first real deviation. The song is free of percussion and relies on an acoustic guitar and softly sung vocals. It’s the first more reflective, nostalgic song on the album. He sounds a bit like Conor Oberst here. ”Guest House” is a song that get more intense as it progresses and I enjoyed the female vocals on “The Wolf That Brings Flowers (feat. Carly Lesko).”

​The Wolf That Brings Flowers has some minor flaws but is a solid power pop album. Recommended.

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