In case you're wondering: yes, this is still
Brookville, the alter ego of
Ivy lead singer Andy Chase. And yes, this is a departure from 2003's
Wonderfully Nothing and 2006's
Life in the Shade.
Broken Lights is an authentic look at the dismantling of Chase's life, an evocation of a period in which the weight of wearing too many hats caused the studio owner/record label founder/producer/singer/songwriter to fully retreat from his life and dissect his very reasons for being. When artists dig that deeply, they don't always come back out. But not only did Chase emerge, he did so having penned some of the greatest and most intimately personal songs of his life. The result is a moody, experimental collection with Chase's nuanced vocals backed up by '70s-style lounge rock guitar. It has a
Fleetwood Mac-
10,000 Maniacs vibe: a smattering of backseat grooves, and steady-handed guitar work. It reaches its height on the disco-inflected "Tell Her You Love Her" and retreats back to a close on "End of the World."
Broken Lights' best features are its recapping of a torn man and the reluctance to reveal whether or not he ever put himself back together again. ~ Jared Johnson