After mastering many instruments and playing them in bands for more than 20 years, Brad Laner’s
Neighbor Singing is the California native’s first official solo LP. Laner’s ’60s-soaked blueprints for
Neighbor were produced with Thom Monahan’s help, whose experience with other Roger McGuinn enthusiasts (Beachwood Sparks, Lilys, Capitol Years) was integral here. “Out Cold”’s frequent tempo shifts pack razor leads cutting through desert acoustic warmth and Beach Boys–esque harmonies. The guitars don’t shred like they did when Laner was upping their treble levels and feeding them through four fuzz box pedals in the noise-pop trio Medicine; instead,
Neighbor jumps from song fragments to fleshed-out, structured compositions with little warning. The open-ended freakouts are varied and sharp, even if they’re reminiscent of experiments tested and tried. -
Dominic Umile
Neighbor Singing
After mastering many instruments and playing them in bands for more than 20 years, Brad Laner’s Neighbor Singing is the California native’s first official solo LP. Laner’s ’60s-soaked blueprints for Neighbor were produced with Thom Monahan’s help, whose experience with other Roger McGuinn enthusiasts (Beachwood Sparks, Lilys, Capitol Years) was integral here. “Out Cold”’s frequent tempo shifts pack razor leads cutting through desert acoustic warmth and Beach Boys–esque harmonies. The guitars don’t shred like they did when Laner was upping their treble levels and feeding them through four fuzz box pedals in the noise-pop trio Medicine; instead, Neighbor jumps from song fragments to fleshed-out, structured compositions with little warning. The open-ended freakouts are varied and sharp, even if they’re reminiscent of experiments tested and tried. -Dominic Umile