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“Ten Thousand Songs – EP” by Brian Bond is different. It’s acoustic, it’s simple, some songs are incredible, others are merely fabulous, and it was recorded on ¼” analog tape. There are no bells and whistles, no endless studio overdubs, no endless layering of guitars or vocals, no reverbs/delays or other recording embellishments, no editing, and no post-production tweaking. This EP is sparse, simple, clean and most important of all, real. The 30-yr. old tape machine this was recorded on really shows the difference between analog and digital. I don’t care what anyone else says, I think there is a difference in the warmth of tone that analog tape brings compared to the colder digital. Also without all the compression that is common on mp3’s, the songs have a depth and intimacy that just makes it feel like Bond is sitting across from you in your living room playing his guitar, singing and sharing a bottle of wine.

The songs are elegant in their simplicity and honesty. Because of this, they reminded me of Jeff Buckley, Cat Stevens, Sufjan Stevens, A. A. Bondy or Alexandre Desilets. It’s nice to see a new crop of singer/songwriter making music that sounds both current and timeless. Brian Bond’s seven songs sound like they could have been written decades ago instead of recently. Aching Now starts out with a James Taylor-like guitar line and evolves into a song that would fit perfectly on the album “Deja Vu” by Crosby, Stills and Nash. I could imagine what their harmonies would sound like from the first word, but the simplicity of Bonds arrangement, just him acoustic and slide guitars, showcases his ability to write a solid lyric. The message is about the heart-ache of losing someone you love but instead of making it a personal hurt, Bond extends it into a universal experience. In each of the three chorus’s Bond changes just one word but that one word change makes the song an anthem to everyone who’s been hurt. He admonishes women to “…please leave us alone?/Because we, lonely, fall in love in just your arms.”

The most interesting song on the EP is one called “Assurmakai” which is just 45 seconds long and played in reverse. It comes in-between two sweet, peaceful songs and because of this sounds even more disharmonious and out of place than it would have sandwiched between two rockier tunes. And that is the point, the juxtaposition of this song makes you sit up an take notice of all the songs that follow. It would have been very easy to sit and nod off thinking, “Oh, this is just another navel gazer with an acoustic guitar” but “Assurmakai” wakes you up and makes you pay attention.

The songs on “Ten Thousand Songs” are typical for this genre – love, heartbreak and longing – but they rise above so many simply by being honest and straightforward. No platitudes, no clichés, no over-wrought emotionalism, just plain speaking and openness. “The feeling of your skin/On the tip of my tongue./I worry I will not forget this/When you’re gone.” from Sing You To Sleepis a raw, honest admission that he’s not sure he will cope if she leaves. “I ask, “What do you feel for me?”?Well I know you’re confused, but please tell me,?/What the hell am I supposed to do when I can’t stop thinking about you?” from Keep Your Eyes On Me an honest admission of the vulnerability he feels. This unpretentiousness, combined with the uncomplicated arrangements, makes these few songs some of the best for a quiet night at home with a good bottle of wine.

Brian Bond, as a solo artist, released a full-length album, “Fire & Gold”, earlier this year. You can get a copy of this CD for the low price of $9.00 by contacting Brian Bond directly. You can download “Ten Thousand Songs – EP” for free here. And as always you can get more info via his MySpace and his website where he has free tracks from other projects available for download. A busy man, Brian Bond also plays in a band with his brother, PJ, called Communipaw and have released a self-titled EP this year and released “Moving Til The Morning-EP” last year. These are being streamed here and you can get more info at their website, MySpace and Facebook. You can buy Communipaw music by contacting them directly via their website.

As if this isn’t enough, Brian Bond is also part of We Were Born With Rock In Our Hands. They also have several EP’s and albums available via website with several tracks available as free downloads. And as if you don’t know by now, you can listen to them on MySpace.

Here are a couple of songs for you:

Brian Bond – Heaven, Who You
Brian Bond – Aching Now

Tags: EP