Brett Netson
Simple Work For The Dead
New Black
2011
Rating: 7.5 commie winds out of 10
Brett Netson is probably best known for being one of the founding members of Built to Spill (with whom he still tours occasionally), and he followed that by helming his own group Caustic Resin (whose album "The Medicine Is All Gone" is one of the most underrated albums of all time). Now he's just recording under his own name, but musically it's all just a continuation on the sounds he has been honing for close to two decades now.
My biggest reaction is this sounds like the soundtrack to a modern western...a lone man riding across the plains, an "Easy Rider" minus the drug running. Well, maybe a little drug running. It's dark in the best possible way, much like with Brett's Caustic Resin past, but not quite as heavy...more of a psych-folk thing like seems to be so popular these days. If you're into the likes of Kurt Vile and all that, this is the natural progression of that sound from a man who has seen and played music for a long time. You could also make some Neil Young comparisons or towards his bandmate Doug Martsch's solo record from a few years back, and there is even a Bob Dylan cover to close the record ("Masters of War").
In short, Brett has made a great, trippy solo album that manages to sound current and fits in with the classics at the same time. It's a good listen, and well worth your effort to track down.
