PRODUKTBESCHREIBUNGEN
This compilation of songs is Be Brave Bold Robot's third release in the band's 7 year run. Singer Songwriter full band storytelling, these songs include a love letter from five brothers to their mother, a hip hop embodiment of a hit man who uses grapes instead of deadly weapons, an ode to sitting down on the toilet (cuz it's cleaner and more ladylike), a song about old people falling in love (I'll say no more), an hallucinogenic journey into dreamland, a love letter to a grandmother, a torch song, and a metaphor for the fire inside us all. Be Brave Bold Robot has members who all work full time, and ride their bikes a lot, and try to be good citizens in their slightly urban Sacramento environment. HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: 'Be Brave Bold Robot's album Under A Thin Veil Of Madness begins with a track dedicated to the narrator (presumably lead vocalist Dean Haakenson)'s mother. The song, aptly titled "Mamasong," includes lines that demonstrate appreciation for parents like "I do everything I do, cuz I watched you do it first / and growing up is never easy, but it could've been far worse." While the song is a charming and lovely tribute to the way Haakenson's mother raised him, listeners of Be Brave Robot should thank the lady, too. After all she's the woman responsible for birthing an immensely talented and delightfully strange folk singer from Sacramento, CA. Haakenson possesses one of those shaky voices that can trace it's lineage back to Bob Dylan. Like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes or Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou, Haakenson's voice sounds as if it's trembling with overwhelming emotion as it speaks such clever words. The singer also varies his vocal style throughout the album. On "The One Thousand Dollar Grape Drive-By," for instance, Haakenson demonstrates his rapidfire, talk-singing/rapping skills. On the song, the singer spews out lyrics at a Tech N9ne-like pace about an assassin that uses grapes instead of guns to carry out his hits. It's this truly oddball type of weirdness that makes Be Bold Brave Robot so endearing. The wacky premise of "The One Thousand Dollar Grape Drive-By" could only be conceived by a mad genius with a knack for storytelling, and it's delivery could only come from a band with such talent. Cattie Turner's viola accentuates the rollicking rhythms of drummer Mike Ruiz and bassist J. Matthew Gerken. Many of the songs on Under A Thin Veil Of Madness contain humor that lazy listeners will find easy to miss. On the surface, "A contained stream" seems like a somber folk ballad, complete with sweeping strings and heartfelt lyricism that mentions things like "the assurance of comfort that only women can bring." If you listen to the rest of the lyrics, however, you'll realize that the song's about peeing- both sitting and standing up, in public and in private, away from and/or too-close to germs, and in the same toilet that women use. The song utilizes straightforwardly humorous imagery like "I'm addicted to sitting on the toilet." But a deeper message could also be squeezed out (pun slightly intended) of the lyrics. When Haakenson says "A household of dry toilet seats / and no one could ruin it but me," he's discussing the problems associated with being the lone male in a female-dominated household. Discussion and praise of the opposite sex are common themes elsewhere on the album. There's even a track called "Keep the women happy," which is a reworking of a song found on the group's 2007 debut album. The new version is slightly altered, although the general instrumentation and lyricism remain intact. There's also "Grammasong," in which Haakenson details how much the woman responsible for the woman discussed in "Mamasong" meant to him. The women of the band also rise to the forefront of the songs on occasion, as the aforementioned Catie Turner delivers strong viola accompaniment and Carly Duhain contributes vocals. "This song's about old people kissing" uses a dual vocal scheme in which the male perspective of the song is sung by a male singer, and the female perspective is sung by a female. The song is twangier and more upbeat than most of the other tracks, and it contains an electric guitar part that serves as a welcome break from the otherwise acoustic-driven composition. But, overall, the acoustic folkiness of Under A Thin Veil Of Madness is what ties the songs together. The album is a collection of songs by Be Brave Bold Robot. Some are old, some are new, but all of them were recorded with the intention of being released on this cohesive work. The talented musicians of Be Brave Bold Robot perform those tracks with relentless fury, teetering on the edge of chaos but always landing in-sync and in time. A thin veil of madness, if you will, covering a well-composed score.' - Will Hagle, earbits.com 'The band fuses folk rock with spoken-wordlike storytelling, epic arrangements and indie-choral tendencies, one-upping the casual singer-songwriter fare.' - Nick Miller, Sacramento News and Review FEB 2010 'BE BOLD BRAVE ROBOT are the sort of band who make me reconsider throwing in the towel every time I listen to their inventive pop masterpiece 'Take A Deep Breath'. There are few occasions when you hear a band for the first time and know implicitly that you are going to love everything that they do. This is one of those bands.' - daydreamgeneration.com DEC 2010 'The thing Be Brave Bold Robot has that few other bands have is a killer sense of chemistry. Dean Haakenson sings in a wavering, unsure voice-full nerves and intellect-as Brian Jackson (keys) watches him, trying to figure out what the hell he's going to do next. Is Haakenson going to sing the next verse like a regular musician, or will he stop playing altogether and start in on a neurotic diatribe like a man with a microphone and too much on his mind? Either way is fine with the audience. As Haakenson rambles happily through fully-endearing, mostly expository songs, Heather Phillips sings in the background while seemingly trying to choke back laughter. With each BBBR show, one gets the feeling it must be hard to concentrate with Haakenson in your band. But that's not to say BBBR isn't serious; in fact, it's their lack of seriousness that makes them so damned earnest. Their jovial personal interplay carries over into the communication of their instruments, which is at once playful and complex; watching BBBR is akin to watching a group of drunk hummingbirds. And Haakenson, under a thin sheet of madness, displays an interesting voice and a profound set of lyrics-whether sung, muttered or screamed out loud-that resonates. Think Dave Matthews with a few espressos and a glorious sense of humor. As a whole, there's a certain laziness to BBBR songs, yet they don't slouch; they're simply reserved and they know how to make light of any situation. And all that earnest joy balances quite nicely, especially in a room full of very serious people.' - Josh Fernandez, Sacramento News and Review JUN 2008 'Paul Simon, Iggy Pop and the Bloodhound Gang on an all-night acoustic bender.' 'Tales of psychedelic camaraderie, long-lost connections and the anguish of everyday conversation.' 'Your Music makes we want to kiss my wife.' - Professor Jason Roberts (Heartfelt, in an authentic Italian accent) 'I love your voice! It's like getting drunk without drinking!' - some Italian guy named Paulo.