Brooke Annibale
The Simple Fear
Released October 2
Brooke Annibale sings from the heart on “The Simple Fear.” An autumnal feeling pervades the album. Songs build up ever so organically. Tasteful to a tee, these are carefully thought-out pieces. Reminiscent at times of Grizzly Bear’s effortless elegant genre-blending, “The Simple Fear” is full of stylistic twists and turns. With this flexibility Brooke Annibale is able to explore interesting blends of sounds, at times cinematic. This of course ought to make sense as her work has been prominently featured in television. Her pieces come together to create a glorious whole, an album that is best taken in full. Pieces flow from each other creating a sense of fervor.
Accompanying Brooke Annibale’s thoughtful lyricism is a mosaic of sound. Usage of the organic (piano, acoustic guitar) alongside the synthesized helps to give the songs a naturalistic and polished feel. The songs radiate warmth as they invite the listener to simply get lost in their lush layers of sound. This is certainly the case in the languid “All Over Again” whose intimate sound works wonders. For the more electronically influenced sounds the same is true. “Like The Dream Of It” combines the chamber folk sound with graceful ambient melodies. By far the highlight of the album is the determined spirit of “The Good Hurt” with lyrics and rhythm perfectly in sync.
“The Simple Fear” is a strong, confident, optimistic album. Brooke Annibale’s sound is a unique one, a true diamond that shimmers and shines. Annibale just sold out the Pittsburgh Winery for her album release show and will embark on a tour in October starting this Friday October 9 in South Bend, IN with other destinations including Nashville, TN, Washington D.C. and New York City. You can catch her back home in Pittsburgh Sunday, November 8 for Yellow Couch House Concert in Mt. Lebanon. The album can be purchased at a show or iTunes.
Review by Beach Sloth for SSE