Lagoon
Sparkle Plenty, 2022
9/10
The Brooklyn artist Bird Streets, i.e. John Brodeur, returns with an album surrounding separation, rumination, and regret, and it’s a sophomore effort that’s full of personal song craft and welcomes some exceptional guests, too.
“Sleeper Agent” opens the listen with graceful keys and Brodeur’s expressive singing in the intimate climate that also hosts strings and gets a bit thicker towards the end, and “Machine” follows with a firm approach that balances dreamy bouts amid crunchy alt-rock bursts.
Deeper into the listen, the crisp drumming and cautious AM radio melodies of “Let You Down” carries some folk nods with its modern indie-rock presence, while “SF 1993” is acoustic guitar focused and has Brodeur hitting some high notes in both bare ebbs and fuller modern rock.
Approaching the end, the breathy “On Fire” might remind you of Elliott Smith, and brings soothing strings from Patrick Warren into the poetic album highlight, and “Go Free” exits a bit jangly with some retro rock gestures and fuzzy guitar you won’t soon forget.
The album starts with the line ‘I gotta tell you, I’m kind of a mess’, and this sets the tone for the introspective affair that’s packed with both alt-rock booming and vulnerable sparseness, and just might be the best record you’ve heard anytime recently.
Travels well with: Matthew Sweet- Catspaw; Fastball- Step Into Light