New Music - Creaky Boards

Early last year I wrote about Where’s The Sunshine?, the debut record from Brooklyn’s Creaky Boards. Though the title posed the question, the sunshine was clearly in the bright, memorable melodies that songwriter Andrew Hoepfner coaxed from his songs - a deft mixture of old time rock ‘n roll, Tom Waits’ carnivalesque 80's diversity, and a distinctly New Orleansian spirit. Where’s The Sunshine? was an older release at the time though - dating back to 2005 - so when word came recently that Creaky Boards was preparing the follow up it was very welcome news.

Brooklyn Is Love is the result of the extended break from recording, and acts as an homage to Hoepfner’s home borough (which is easily the best one). The songs shimmer with a Brian Wilson-worthy flair for pop craftsmanship, and Hoepfner proves that when it comes to combining piano-driven indie-pop songs with Beach Boys styled vocal harmonies he is, among New Yorkers, in a class by himself. “The Songs I Didn’t Write” has already gained some notoriety for having a near identical melody to that Coldplay song you secretly kinda like, but was written long before it ever hit the airwaves. It gets the album off to a terrific start, and from there the melodic floodgate is open wide. Check out a pair of tunes and then go spend some of that excess cash everyone seems to have these days:

MP3 :: The Songs I Didn’t Write
MP3 :: Now I’m In The City
(from Brooklyn Is Love. Buy here)
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