BrilliantFish

Toronto-based BrilliantFish writes painful ballads. That is, painfully haunting and beautiful ballads, brimming with pianos, saxophones, sad guitars and quiet drums. Every track on this latest release bears the heavy weight of lyrical introspection. The album is literally overflowing with pleadingly emotional and often confessional-feeling vocals that beg of you to listen to the story of their journey. And you can’t help but to give in. The thing is that none of these songs "rock” per se, they push and pull at your psyche, but never even attempt to tease you into movement. This isn’t an album to groove to, it’s one to be mellow to. Still the songwriting and musicianship on this release are tight, I would hazard to suggest that there is more talent here than one could shake half a dozen fists at, even if it bears from it an ultimately sober and mopey kind of songwriting. The biggest disappointment is that none of the 11 songs ever stray too far from the familiar sombre territory established in the opening track. Nonetheless this is an absolutely perfect soundtrack for your next heartbreak.