Crobot – Motherbrain
Release Date: August 23, 2019
Crobot is a band that has been on my radar since their 2012 debut, Legend of the Spaceborn Killer. I have watched this band grow by leaps and bounds and no matter what obstacles may lay before them, they always manage to overcome them and come out smelling like roses. 2019’s Motherbrain was an album that I couldn’t wait to hear and I was not disappointed.
Motherbrain kicks off with “Burn” and right away I could feel the groove overtake me and have me moving in my seat. This is nothing new for me when listening to Crobot but by the time the second track, “Keep Me Down” played, I could feel a huge difference in the band and for the better. The songs are perfectly structured and the production is hands down the best that they’ve had on an album yet. THIS is how I always thought a Crobot album should sound like and it’s a great representation of them as a live band.
On their last album, Welcome to Fat City, while I enjoyed it, I just couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss with that album. It seemed to lack something and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. When listening to new songs like, “Low Life,” “Stoning The Devil,” and my favorite track, “Black Out”, I could finally hear what it was that was so different. With a brand new rhythm section, Crobot sounds more confident, connected and they sound like a complete unit.
On Motherbrain, there is looseness to the songs and it shows in a very positive way. Vocalist Brandon Yeagly shines as always with his over the top soulful vocals and, as always, guitar Chris Bishop continues to grow and develop a sound that has pretty much become a signature all of his own. The new rhythm section of Dan Ryan (drums) and James Lascu (bass) prove themselves to be the perfect addition to Crobot and have remedied whatever seemed to anchor them down a bit on Welcome to Fat City.
With Motherbrain, Crobot has exercised their ability to break out of the box a bit and exercise some versatility. Crobot is resilient and, as I said earlier, nothing is going to hold these fellas down.
Crobot has a series of album release parties which I can only hope will be followed by a more extensive North American tour. Here are the dates:
Aug 22 //Brooklyn, NY//Saint Vitus
Aug 23 //Teaneck, NJ//Debonair Music Hall
Aug 24 //Andreas, PA//Skookstock
Aug 25 //Asbury Park, NJ//Asbury Lanes
Aug 28 //Columbus, OH//Ace of Cups
Aug 30 //Ringle, WI // Q&Z Expose Center
Aug 31 //Braidwood, IL //Top Fuel Saloon
Sep 1 //Madison, WI //Taste of Madison
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