Bruiser & Bicycle - Deep Country

Bruiser & Bicycle, the creative outfit of "Lanky" Nick Whittemore, Keegan Grazian and friends, are back with a 15-track, 74-minute album in Deep Country. The folk-y and ever-so-arts-y endeavours of the New York collective are always a high-spirited affair, with a tangible weight in tow. On the bands third outing the woes of life are taken in stride. Felt, and moved through; overcome and begrudgingly tip-toed on top of, the woes are met with cheery, cheery despondence. 

Deep Country saunters in nonchalance to start with "Dance and Devotion". The slow-sweep of brooding emotions breeze on through. 

'Hey, we're going to another deep country, pack your bags and take a look at the sights.' 

Dramatically despondent in joyful despair, we are in a steady sombre state. A continuous bout of heavy hearts. The load can be lightened, but the weight must be exorcised to begin the shift. It's part of the show, it can't be shortcut, skipped, or ignored. As integral as the middle is to the end and the start to the middle, the weight must be endured. Un-live-with-able, until lived with; it's a part of the ride. Devotion: a sacred dance in motion.

The album feels more toned down in an outward sense; it's more of an inward affair. The skyward theatrics have been put away in some sense, although they do sneak up on you from time-to-time. With the 15 tracks, each track has their own unique characteristics. Many a genre is traversed; many a mode of time is lived along.

'There's a sign. A feeling in my spine. Who can flip a bottle on its side?'

Who can make the universe align? Straighten up this little bit of life. Search for meaning in the little bits I like. One of the more whacky moments on Deep Country comes during the refrains of 'who can flip a bottle on its side?'. The blip-bloop-bloop-bloop, drip-drip-drips add a sense of birthday-party-clown-fiasco to the mix. Chaos has just entered the room. 

Restrictions can be an aid to fuel creativity, in this case the band refrained from the use of electric guitar throughout the project as stated by the band in their interview with I via BLIGATORY(you can read said interview over at Bligatory.com). Limitations here set you free elsewhere; when one door closes, many others - some would say an infinite amount - open. 

'It's the season to be nasty'. 'Let's be vile; oh good Heavens, go senile'. 'It's the 21st Century; 21st joke'. Here's a premature stroke for your 21st birthday. SURPRISE. "21st Century Humour" is quite the witty track, although it feels like a fairly accurate commentary of the times. Scathing and openly subversive, the band run a parade of fairly insane, but never too far, potentials. 

Snoozin' on your belly. Crying on your side. Swingin' 'round, upside down. Let the fear be light. 

'Get to the point Get to the point Get to the point Get to the point Get to the point Get to the point....'

The slow creep of a moment. From far out in the distance to now within a sniffs reach. Slow motion beauty. Watching the details explode; come to life. The seams on full show. The systems inner strain. High tensile twisting and turning. The cracks in the fabric of reality. The peaks at the truth within the minutiae of everyday doings. 

courtesy of B&B’s Bandcamp.

Deep Country has a breezy mix; prettily detailed, spacious and flow-y. 

If you can get past the gates, then you can sing in Heaven's showroom. But you've got to get past the gates. In order to ascend, you must die. Are all these words misunderstood? 

Lead singles in "Waterfight", "Sinister Sleep Shuffle" and "A Horror Man Chopped Lamb" sit back-to-back-to-back within Deep Country. 

"A Horror Man Chopped Lamb" opens with the song title spoken in a hushed, breath-y tone, similar to "Don, Aman" on Slint's 1991 Spiderland album. You'd think that the track would continue on the spooky energy that starts it, and considering the track title, you wouldn't wonder why. But zippy, youthful sprite takes over. 

"Like a Snake" is home to synths that feel like they were transported from Swans' 1996 album Soundtracks for the Blind. An eerie air emanates. Said synths have this morose-ecclesiastic cheer to them. The morning fog on the fields is making its way into town. The bringer of bad news is impartial to the outcome. 

Catch those floating Z's. Surrender to the body's cosmos. Lie under the mental stars. Let the liminal shift occur. Sizzle the corners. Up and at it lickety-split in the morn. Refreshed and ready for whatever life throws this way. Tip-toeing around your family home in order not to wake those still under in the early hours. Feeling like you're the only person alive, consciously. Oh, the possibilities! Freedom rise! 

"Sinister Sleep Shuffle" has an excellent music video - some lovely visuals to aid the track. It plays in my head pretty often throughout most days. The cheeky saunter of a giddy shadow prances round-and-round behind my eyelids.

Everyone is looking for an answer. Everyone is seeking something - the piece to complete their puzzle; the place to fulfil their purpose. 

Penultimate track "New Weird America" comes with what may be my favourite quotable on the album: 

'If you wanna be as free as a bird, set it on 33⅓.'

Melt into the music. Become one. You are it, and it is you. Six degrees of separation set to a null state. 

The title track sees us out. The gleeful yay-woo-yippiie-hoooo's feel like a genuine weight-of-the-world-off-your-shoulders shift in energy.

There's something about B&B's music that feels so freeing. A release of tension occurs when the music switches on. Like musical meditation, Deep Country soothes the soul.