Medicine Brother - Medicine Brother

Medicine Brother

Medicine Brother
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Mike Pryzgoda

The self-titled EP Medicine Brother by Medicine Brother is a collection of four songs that highlight the tight grooves as well as the vocal and instrumental abilities of the band.  These are the types of songs that burst off the speakers. The guitars are bright and reverb laced and the vocals are delivered with an exuberant energy that is hard to deny.

“Chromic” opens the EP with Explosions In The Sky-like guitars doused in reverb and epicness. The vocals have some Catherine Wheel-ish inflections, and there are some nice harmonies, subtle piano and a great build at the end of the song.

“Salt Lake” bounces between two different vocalists between verse/chorus giving some contrast in tone and inflections. There is some nice space in the second verse as well as towards the end letting the words and music resonate further. The feel changes towards the end, which is a little abrupt and could be more subtly executed, but it has some great instrumental moments in it.

“Kafka” has a Sea & Cake-esque groove to it as well as in the tonal aspects of the guitar and keyboard. The lyrics are really smart and the interaction between the two vocalists heightens them. Also of note, the bass work is particularly inspired on this track.

The EP closes with a live version of “The Milk,” fueled by ‘80s bass (both in synth tone and in octave leaps). Lyrically, the song does not offer much, but there is a nice synth break towards the end with the ostinado building into guitar/drum rock-a-thon. An awkward switch to 12/8 diminishes the energy a bit, but there are still some nice instrumental parts in it.

​Overall, Medicine Brother has lots of talent oozing out of each note.  Some attention to transitions might just help elevate them one more step.

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