No one will accuse Brian Shapiro of having dulcet pipes. His occasional red-line bray defines each of All We Can See’s none tracks and, sometimes to its benefit and peril alike, grabs the lion’s share of listeners’ attention. It is good for a young debuting band to boast a calling card, of sorts, capable of compelling public attention. Shapiro’s singing grabbed my attention with the opener “Three Things” and never loosens its grip. He handles guitar duties for the band and the six string playing pairs up well with bassist Ed Moman and drummer Benjamin Kutner-Duff. The bright rhythm he lays over the rhythm section attack kicks off things with great verve.
BANDCAMP: brianshapiroband.bandcamp.com/album/all-that-we-see
“We’ll Take Them All” continues building on the same inspired note. The teaming of Shapiro’s voice and guitar is, once again, the defining musical spark. His singing, in particular, weaves for listeners, rising and falling, yet maintaining a tight hold on the vocal melody. The first real variation on the release comes with the album’s third track “What’s Real”. Its first half stands out as a potent duet before turning in breathtaking fashion during the second part. The inward-looking and pensive mood of the first half lingers with you long after the song ends.
“Why Wait” is a song with a head-down, changing at you headfirst quality, careening in near out of control fashion. That reckless on the edge aspect to this and other Shapiro songs is one of the things that will keep you coming back for more, though it is sure some will prefer a more conventional approach. “Thin Skin” is a great track, musically and lyrically, that doesn’t turn any new ground regarding its subject matter. Shapiro, however, sets things up in a fashion all his own. The chorus may grate on some listeners, however, but it doesn’t dominate the cut.
“Away and Away” is as close to “normal” as Shapiro comes on this release. It is a mid-tempo jaunt with much of the same instrumentation we have heard on preceding songs. He laces the same swaying yet intensely musical vocals that have distinguished the previous performances. It preps listeners for the second to last track “Gourmet Mind”. This is Shapiro at his artiest, his most experimental, and it will probably be the track that some listeners reject. Many, however, will relish how he colors outside the lines.
DEEZER: www.deezer.com/us/artist/126288012/radio?autoplay=true
Few debuts end with songs about animals. Shapiro, however, decides to end his band’s first album with the track “Le Chien”, a title translating into “The Dog”. It’s impossible to judge the lyrics, having little to zero grounding in French, but it is another appealing arrangement that ends the release in a way you would expect. It’s an auspicious beginning for the trio and the collection has no sign they will be unable to meet or exceed its lofty standards. They are aiming high. There is no sense of musicians or songwriters playing it safe with the songs on the Brian Shapiro Band’s All We Can See.
Clay Burton