THE RAYMOND BRAKE- PILES OF DIRTY WINTERS

Man. This is one of those records perfect for the days when it gets dark at 4:30. The Raymond Brake inhabited that wonderful North Carolina scene in the early 90's but never really achieved any of the notoriety bestowed upon Archers of Loaf or Polvo... or even other southeast acts such as Grifters, which is a damn shame. This is a fine record of alternate tunings, nice singing, varied songwriting and that perfect mix of depression and the boredom of geographic isolation. Musically these guys are basically a mix between the more melodic passages of Polvo and the anthemic qualities of Archers although there is enough variation in these songs that you never feel like they were just ripping off their buddies. Sadly, no one ever gave a shit and they called it quits. Their singer now plays indie-folk in San Francisco's Vetiver with dudes who wear fedoras... they are signed to the eternal source of new and exciting American music, Sub Pop... People change, I guess...

HERE