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Brad
Interiors
Epic

Sometimes it's hard being a gardener.

Sometimes you work all day long, digging solid ground in the scorching sun, and all you have to show for it is a cut on your leg, a sunburnt back and an empty can of Fanta.

But oh, when it WORKS! You plant your own little seed, and delight as you watch it grow, pollenating, flowering and spreading happiness wherever its little leaves shall go.

So next time I have a lengthy session in the garden, I'm going to enlist the help of a Mr.Stone Gossard and friends, because if anyone's an expert at branching out and diversifying then it's Pearl Jam... For once again the Darwins of grunge have spawned yet another side project. This time it's the beautifully mellow and soulful Brad, featuring Pearl Jam axeman Stone Gossard, Shawn Smith and Regan Hagar from U.S soul crooners Satchel and solo artist Jeremy Toback.

It's inevitable, but really a tad unfair to tag Brad as a mere side project, with all the B-side recycling and riff theft it suggests, because these guys make a great band in their own right. This really isn't just any hum-drum sidey, and besides, Interiors is Brad's second album.

Interiors is liquid soul for the greater part; 75% Satchel with a sprinkling of Toback taking over vocals from Shawn Smith, with the odd snatch of Pearl Jam riffery here and there. In fact, the only major diversion is in the form of Sweet Al George, a stomping and swaggering monster of a song pre-empting Pearl Jam's own No Way.

The Day Brings is Brad's soul at its best; uplifting, clever and tuneful; led by a piano and followed by a happy face. Meanwhile Upon My Shoulders takes a mournful stroll through troubled times, Smiths' voice soaring over a church organ only to give way to a cello solo.

Interiors is a geniune breath of fresh air. Ben Folds Five might have the monopoly on new old-fashioned soulful rock, but Brad can afford to dabble in the unknown from time to time and often reap a rich harvest. These guys relish the opportunity to experiment; to flick two fingers to their main projects and do something different, bringing a smile to their faces and a few extra points to their CV. As side projects go, this is the far removed opposite of a lazy Fat Les style bolt-on, with a myriad of tunes and true talent seeping from every pore.

So next time your plants are suffering in the noon-day drought, forget fertiliser, manure or intimate conversation.

Play them Interiors and they'll be blooming marvellous.

9/10 Karl Cremin

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