Tuesday, June 16, 2020

The 1980 Listening Post - The Brains - The Brains

The Brains - The Brains


#64 LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
1980 Housekeeping
The Brains
The Brains
Genre: Terrifying Wave
4.75 out of 5

Highlights:
Treason
Raeline
In the Night
Money Changes Everything
Scared Kid
Sweethearts


Not to be confused with the Psychobilly band of the same name from the 00s. 

Man…Georgia. Some crazy shit came out of the Peach state. 

You know The Brains. I mean, you don’t. But you do. First off, that opening track could be the Kids in the Hall theme by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. it’s a terrific way to open this dank offering of New Wave Nuggets.
Secondly, Tom Gray, the brains behind The Brains, wrote “Money Changes Everything” that Cyndi Lauper turned into a megabit. 
I don’t know if Gray knew how to turn his angst into a mainstream success but this record makes me wish I heard it back in 1980. In the end I think Steve Lillywhite is the wrong guy for this band. His sound is too expansive, too lush. I think they would have benefitted from more air in-between all the instruments. 
I do adore how “Sweethearts” is one of those rock songs that just eats Pachelbel’s Canon (with slight changes) and doesn’t give a shit who knows it. 
Different producer and a label who cared and this album could have been an underground classic. 



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