“Believing” is the second release from Brian John McBrearty’s newest album Remembering Repeating on the newly minted label Love Beyond Measure Records. McBrearty’s work has been called “an awesome through line between Zuma, Marquee Moon and The Days of Wine and Roses” by Aquarium Drunkard. On his latest, McBrearty lets out a massive exhalation. Situated in the neighborhood of spiritual jazz and heady post-rock, Remembering Repeating bears endless repeats.
““Believing,” the second single from Remembering Repeating, Brian John McBrearty’s forthcoming album of instrumentals featuring McBrearty on synthesizers, saxophonist Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats), and drummer Ryan Jewell (Woods, Chris Forsyth), is a balm for the soul and a testament to the power of sound. At the intersection of John Coltrane’s “Central Park West” and The Beatles’ “Sun King,” the song offers a healing force that is rarely captured in recorded music.
“Based on McBrearty’s deceivingly simple two-chord synth progression and a repeating melody that is first stated on flutes, Ryan Jewell’s understated brushwork on the drums leaves ample room for Matt Douglas to deliver an achingly tender saxophone solo that won’t leave a dry eye in the house. If you are a fan of jazz ballads or patient, heartrending music, this is a must listen.”
McBrearty is a veteran DIY musician and has quietly amassed a diverse array of releases as leader and chief songwriter of several bands and, more recently, under his own name. “I have a distinct memory of hearing David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ on the radio in the car as a child,” McBrearty recalls, “and my Dad explained with admiration that Bowie was a shape-shifting artist whose music and persona had changed over the years. So, this idea of constantly seeking, trying to challenge myself to do something different, is a concept that I’ve valued before I first picked up an instrument.”
Are you vibing with this one?
