Christopher Browder has stolen my heart. I’ll be honest: I’m pretty new to the Mansions bandwagon, but I’m glad I hopped on when I did. I bought New Best Friends from iTunes a few short months ago and have kept it in heavy rotation since. (“Talk Talk Talk” is just so catchy, am I right?!) So when I started doing some research and realized there was a new album coming soon, I couldn’t have been more excited. Two years between debut and sophomore releases seems a little risky, but it wasn’t without good cause. (There was also Best of the Bees, a compilation of non-album tracks exclusive to bandcamp that isn’t considered an official album. But nevertheless, it’s three bucks so you might as well grab it here.) Dig Up The Dead is not being released on Doghouse Records, which in my opinion is one of the best moves Browder could have made. No pressure from contracts, no money, no complicated production. Just a guy and his guitar. Is there anything better than that? This new Mansions album channels pure human emotion and Browder connects with listeners like few artists can.
The title track of Dig Up The Dead builds and builds with a sense of urgency until it ends with Browder crying: “I’ll start again, I’ll start again, I’ll start again…” And he does just that. He’s preparing us to go on a journey with him and it’s just getting started. The pace is quickened through the second and third songs as intensity builds, and then we arrive at “City Don’t Care,” which is hands down my favorite song on the album. It’s meant to be a single and it’s meant to get stuck in your head. How can you not tap your toes and bob your head to it? But behind the upbeat, poppy exterior are the grittier lyrics. Browder reveals his personal stories and struggles and that’s what makes the album so easy to relate to. “I must admit I’m a little bit lost in space…” He gains the audiences’ trust with his admissions and keeps pulling you deeper in as the album progresses. Track seven, “Close That Door,” is another personal favorite with it’s catchy melody and anthemic lyrics. “Seven Years” is easily the most passionate song on the album and it haunts you after you’ve given it a fourth, fifth and sixth listen. “If I don’t believe in the afterlife, does that mean I can’t go?” It takes you by surprise in the midst of fast-paced indie songs; makes you stop and really pay attention. There’s a recurring theme of loneliness, invisibility and questioning in Dig Up The Dead and “Seven Years” really ties those themes together. It ends abruptly with swelling guitars and leaves you with a bit of uneasiness, a good kind of uneasiness. And just like a fine wine, the album gets better and better with time. Browder has the listener’s full attention and unlike so many pop albums these days, has solid songs all the way until the end and finishes on a solid note. “You Got Cool” and “Yer Voice” round out a spectacular album and give a strong finish.
I wasn’t completely sold upon my first listen of Dig Up The Dead. I was so partial to New Best Friends and I’m somewhat resistant to change. But patience definitely pays off. Because it gets better and better with each listen. You start to notice the little things and it all makes sense. Christopher Browder has presented us with a brilliant sophomore effort and I’m confident that it will still have a buzz surrounding it come end of the year. Yeah, it’s early, but as of right now this album’s got a spot reserved in my Top 10 of 2011.
Track listing:
1 Dig Up The Dead
2 Blackest Sky
3 Not My Blood
4 City Don’t Care
5 Call Me When It’s Over
6 Wormhole
7 Close That Door
8 Seven Years
9 You Got Cool
10 Yer Voice
