Having seen Brackets play live a few times over the last couple of years, I’ve generally had them pinned as a rock band with some interesting textural nuances and a heavy nod towards the nu-psychedelic resurgence. Their debut EP, Topsy Swervy, mostly confirms those thoughts but actually puts their sound into wider, more open spaces than are possible in small, inner-city venues. This makes for great listening, with diverse subtleties apparent and layers of sound to explore in more and more depth.
‘Killer’ starts with a blast of almost tuned radio buzz which fades into a piano and slide guitar atmosphere very reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s ‘Great Gig In The Sky’. That mood is shifted fairly soon, though, as the drums kick in with Matt Meagher’s croon, sounding like a cross between Clash bassist Tim Simenon and early Tom Waits. Some subtle electronics are blended well as guitar figures head for the stars. ‘Flower Wielding Robot’ is where the disparate elements of Brackets’ sound come together most concisely – a fairly straight funk drum groove is counterpoised against dubstep bass and astral synth arpeggios. It’s vaguely in the vein of Pivot but stands on its own. Elsewhere, ‘Scramble’ starts out as dry post-punk before whining synths head into regions closer to 70s space jazz explorations, while ‘The Plant’ rounds out the EP with a jilted 3/4 groove, distorted synth and Flaming Lips style guitar noise explorations.
There’s a tendency for much nu-psychedelia to be housed under a layer of lo-fi veneer, an attempt to cloak what can often be aimless new-age noodling under a mystique of trendy ‘authentic-ness’. Brackets take the opposite route. This is beautifully recorded, wide-screen music where the nuances are clearly audible and the resulting music all the better for its clarity. They show that DIY doesn’t have to mean sonically poor and that hi-fidelity is possible without any hint of ‘selling out’.
Adrian Elmer
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