You picture yourself driving aimlessly at night contemplating the meaning of life and an album comes to mind that would be on repeat as you drive for hours. Convalescing in Braille by Texas based Crushed Stars is that album. Todd Gautreau formed Crushed Stars in 2000 as a side project to his electronic band, Sonogram, and has since released five albums on Simulacra and Arena Rock Records labels.
With subtle guitar, piano, and percussion paired up with Gautreau’s Interpol meets Nick Drake meets Alexi Murdoch vocals, this indie rock album, in ten 4-5 minute tracks, will create a brief escape from reality.
The album is full of soothing guitar riffs similar to The American Analog Set, no more prevalent in the album’s fifth track, “Spark”. The song features soft guitar and piano underneath Gautreau’s seemingly desperate vocals as he sings, “I took a drink and then I drowned/The waves came over me and took me down.” “Eyeliner” starts off the album with a captivating guitar intro followed my Gautreau’s voice and a building combination of percussion and organ sounds that move you through the track. The album turns slightly upbeat with “Technicolor”, introduced by electric guitars and soft drums and vocals, creating an innocent sound reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian. “A Day Without You” shows us the electronic side of Gautreau as he creates a dreamy three-minute instrumental track full of light piano, organs, and whimsical synth effects.
“Ocean” brings the album to a close sounding like it belongs on the Garden State or Away We Go movie soundtrack, bringing together all aspects of Todd Gautreau’s musical and lyrical style. A soft guitar and piano combination married with Gautreau’s entrancing vocals will have you feeling weightless. As a clarinet paired with a section of strings enter towards the end of the track, you’ll struggle to come back to reality.
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