“I’m back from the river / Don’t you worry ‘bout me / I’ll be what I wanna be / I’m back from the river” sings a smoky-voiced Brendan Staunton, who has his heart on his sleeve in “River,” one of the nine songs found on the new album Last of the Light. “River” is absolutely one of the more lyrically evocative tunes of this LP, but make no mistake about it – this track doesn’t overshadow the others here at all. Last of the Light, despite its deceptive title, feels a lot like a preview of what could be an amazing solo career for this powerful singer/songwriter.
There’s a lot more substance to this record than its lyrical content alone – in fact, in tracks like “Smiled,” “Underwater” and “Mean to You,” the words frame the instrumental melodies more than the other way around. “A Girl” communicates to us through textures and tones equally, and though there’s a lot of poetic license to “Nine Day Wonder,” it’s difficult for me to picture the song feeling like as much of a hit as it does with its Beatlesy swing. Staunton didn’t skimp on the brawniness here, and that’s often not the case in LPs of this genre.
I really love the juxtaposition of the electric and acoustic elements in “River,” and while the multifaceted “We Don’t Talk About It” and “Stop Believing” might be perceived as being a bit indulgent in comparison to some of the mainstream stuff you’re going to hear in 2020, I for one endorse this brand of grandiosity. Brendan Staunton’s diverse array of influences are obvious even at a distance in Last of the Light, and whether they wind up streamlined in the future – into a formula that he can undisputedly call his own – or not, they make for some fun summer fireworks in this record for sure.
MORE ON BRENDAN STAUNTON: http://www.brendanstauntonmusic.com/
The vocal delivery in “Smiled,” “We Don’t Talk About It” and “A Moment” is essentially what makes the black and white lyricism sound more colorful and driven by pure passion, and to some degree, I think this entire album is a good standard for what debut singer/songwriter works should look and feel like in an ideal scenario. Last of the Light isn’t without some abrasive moments that feel like hybridity not yet realized, but all in all, you’d be hard-pressed to find another LP like this one before the month of July has expired.
Folk-rockers and pop fiends with an ear for the softer side of the genre really can’t go wrong with Brendan Staunton’s new album, and it wouldn’t surprise me if I weren’t the only music enthusiast who thinks so. Last of the Light stirs us with its melodic buoyancy, breaks away from disturbingly plastic trends in modern alternative music and flanks familiar, 70s-like songwriting concepts with something a little more postmodern and on the pulse of millennial interests – a tall order to say the least. It’s an interesting debut any way you look at it, and definitely among my new favorite LPs out this year.
Troy Johnston