Release Date: (January, 23, 2007)
Label: Tooth And Nail Records
Producer:

December Hotel
Overall Rating:  ++++

(Communication)

The long-awaited dream has finally come to pass. Brothers Ronnie (Joy Electric) and Jason (Starflyer 59) have come together to record an album. If you're a music geek like I am, you've been fantasizing this record for years. Keeping to a tidy 10 tracks, The Brothers Martin launches with their most co-written effort, "Communication". This track is credited to 'The Brothers Martin', and the 9 tracks to follow are credited to 'Ronnie' or 'Jason' specifically. This isn't very surprising, as both of their bands function as essentially one person under their respective monikers.

But back to "Communication"...this is the loudest track of the bunch, and if you wanted a single, this is what I'd recommend. Drumming is organic (as is much of the drumming heard on the album), but the weird synths provide a strong undercurrent, and the Brothers wisely refrain from letting Ronnie's electronic flair remain in the shadows of Jason's guitar leads. "The Harsh Effects Of Time" follows, and this is the strongest song Ronnie has penned since The White Songbook. The Brothers manage to balance their strengths well, making for a dissonant electro-pop track. Jason's songs are typically more dry and slightly less experimental, although in the end, that might benefit the album as a whole, making it both challenging and comfortable.

Heavy influences of the 80's are heard from the beginning to the end. It's not that The Brothers Martin have created anything particularly new, but they certainly succeed in crafting a lovable throwback vintage record that perhaps illustrates their influences more than any other record they have made. New Order and The Smiths can be heard consistently throughout, and who in their right mind would complain about that? Ronnie's presence on Fine China's When The World Sings is best understood on "Fears To Remember", a great track that would've been a perfect fit for FC's finest album. Having played this record for about a week now, I'm confident in saying that The Brothers Martin debut is a solid, non-life changing effort. I certainly hope they will continue to explore this recipe. If you're looking for an album that blurs the lines between British infused indie-rock and electro-pop, this Cali brotherhood made a record just for you.
 

-Garrett Johnson