Artist description Mongrel

Music Style Post-Country Heartache

Musical Influences Hank Williams and Bob Dylan

Similar Artists Joao Gilberto, Gillian Welch, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, Red House Painters, Richard Buckner

Artist History Storied

Group Members Paul Brill, Vicky Leavitt, Liz Claire, Giovani Fusco, Rick Morse, Nancy Hess

Instruments Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Cello, Drums, Pedal Steel

Albums Halve the Light, Crick Harmony, New Deal for the Century Spokesman, Gold Rush L.P.

Press Reviews Paul Brill has been a longtime fixture on New York City's music circuit; his recent release, the ambitious Halve the Light, (Scarlet Shame Records) should secure his place in the downtown scene as the folk guy with an edge. The record's eight tracks span the best of Brill's American roots influences, blending country twang, tongue-in-cheek pop, and home-spun bluegrass with straight-up, indie rock lyrics. Through Brill's lens the world is suburban -- one of city cafes and tragic drug escapades which all serve as backdrop for the main event, two lovers trying to work things out. Yet despite somber subjects, Brill's tunes bounce along with upbeat tempos -- a pleasant point-counterpoint to the tales told within. Standouts include the tightly arranged "Love Survives Us All," a hushed call to a former lover tinged with acidic language: "I always liked you silent anyway." Other bright spots include the funked-up bluegrass number "Caroline"; the 60s-inspired, cheery pop of "Start It Again" and "Don't Say Maybe," which reaches into the country backwoods with its mix of violins, mandolins and lyrics that evoke Dylan-esque round-robins. Yet Brill spares us the cliched "lost my love" sentimentality of C&W radio -- these songs are brainy, in a deceptively simple Wilco-like way, and as mournful as a mid-career Neil Young. Brill has honed his unique sound, payimg homage to the best in American music. In an age where electronic bleeps and hip hop tend to dominate the charts, Light is clarifying alternative.DAKOTA SMITH - Paper Magazine

Location New York, NY - USA

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