New Brian Wilson song just premiered on radio

[Ron]

Those crazy Norwegians!  

I like how Brian has the balls to keep making such youthful music, and you can say what you want but good god he's still got an ear for a melody.  

The song is very simple, I love simple, well written songs.  Like usual, I don't think the lyrics are the greatest in the world, but the actual composition and how the song is structured is just fantastic.

I like how it sounds fresh, but also sounds vintage at the same time.  Very solid song.  Robo-al or whatever doesn't bother me, I think he sounds fantastic.  Love Al & Brian harmonizing after all these years, that's how sh*t ought to be with all these guys.  Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce, and David are meant to be singing beautiful sh*t like this and gifting the world with it, it's a damn shame 1 or 2 of them won't get with the program.  

[Ron]

Interestingly, the song does not fade out...it has a clear ending. Unusual for BW songs.

He must have decided to do it the other way, instead of fading it out!

[18thofMay]

I think you will find that a lot about this album will be different! In a great way!

[Ron]

Hey does anybody hear Shortin' Bread in this song? No? Well neither do I.But I digress. It amazes me how everybody is now an expert on recording techniques and really has better  taste than Brian Wilson whenit comes to producing a song. There is a weird vibe on this board sometimes, almost as if you wanted the Beach Boys to be something different then they really were. When the album does come out I think this is the last place I'd want to be, too much negativity .Unless Brian Wilson visits, than everyone is on their best behavior.

Don't know how long you've been here Gerry, but believe me: the pedantic, hipster, audiophile vibe has been here a long, long, long time.  Since the inception of the board 10 years ago!  Some people get it, some people don't. 

When you record the human voice, it is immediately processed.  If you amplify the human voice, it is processed.  If Brian isn't sitting in your immediate vicinity with an acoustic band playing this song, the damn thing is processed, we're all just arguing about the level of processing that's been done to it.  Everyone was cool with Brian recording sh*t in a swimming pool in 1966 but if he uses a little too much reverb now he's suddenly lost it and doesn't know what he's doing. 

Production sounds awesome to these ears.  To each his own.

[Ron]

I liked it.  In fact it's absolute ear candy.  Everytime you forget how amazing that Beach Boys blend (even without M&B here) can be it comes right back and surprises the heck out of you.  If the rest of the record is anything like this I think we are in for a treat!

Definately John; their harmony, even with just Al and Brian is simply fantastic in my opinion.  Brian's voice kind of adds the authenticity to the sound, it sounds like the Beach Boys if he's in the harmony, and Al like usual does the heavy lifting vocally imho.  Crazy even with just the two of them you get that same sound, this literally could be some harmonies off Sunflower...

[Ron]

Those guitar licks have no place in a Brian Wilson production.

I completely disagree. I love David Marks playing! It sounds to me like a Fender Telecaster, very Ventures meets  David Marks. It reminds me of a very blues oriented David Marks,who used to play guitar in The Beach Boys when he was like 11. And now he's lived his life and has an actual style. I think he fits very well! Great job Brian including him on your new album.

I agree.  I don't know how the hell someone can say David Marks' guitar style doesn't belong on the album, if ANYTHING, it's giving us a taste of the 50 years of great guitar work we MISSED being on the BB's albums!  It's like a missing piece to the puzzle... that's been lost since the very beginning, but finally put back in.  I'll take it, and as much of it as we get out of these gentlemen in the next few years. 

Need I state the obvious? Lesley Gore just passed away today.  We're on borrowed time here.

[Ron]

Meat and potatos BW post 1995.  Nice and pleasant - sounds kind of like the theme to a TV show.

Thank you for your input!

[Ron]

A lovely, low-key tune. Between this and "Our Special Love," you can definitely see an approach that BW is taking to at least some of the NPP songs -- simple verse-chorus structures (common in his recent work), with a lot of cool vocal arranging ideas. The backing track is far more organic sounding than Imagination, too, even if some of Joe's touches remain.

I'm beginning to suspect that we're going to get an album of meticulously arranged, carefully sung pop miniatures. I would be excited by that! But it's definitely not Carl and the Passions, which Joe referred to at one point in the sessions.

Yes! That's what I hear in it, too... the songs are very simple, not much there lyrically and simply constructed, but with lots of clever, bordering on brilliant little melodies and harmonic ideas going on.  Like he's trying to sprinkle a little magic dust on each track... It's kind of a new direction from even the stuff on That's why God Made the Radio, if you think about the Acapella song he did with that gentleman a few months ago, it was similar to this too.

it's almost like the really clever stuff you see 5 or 6 person church choirs or acapella groups do.  The instrumentation is kind of taking a back seat and being very non-obtrusive. 

[guitarfool2002]

I had to listen again with fresh ears, and heard more details. First, as mentioned, Al sounds terrific. I'm starting to think he found the vocal fountain of youth...man, this guy can deliver a lead vocal melody, right on the money. Very cool. I keyed in on the neat arrangement of the instrumental chorus after the bridge, it's cool how the vocal harmonies are swirling around their phrases (I especially like the way the bass voice is mixed, as well as the bass notes being sung) then get "answered" by a short guitar burst. Call and response between vocals and guitar rather than a full-blown guitar solo, very nice. Really nice falsetto part in there as well, I didn't expect some of the notes, especially the last part of the line.

What I keyed in on even more this time was the guitar arrangement. It's a pretty multi-textured and multi-purpose guitar arrangement, for all the parts. Actually, it felt like one of what I think is one of Brian's trademark arranging and orchestrating moves dating back to the Pet Sounds days...How he used multiple guitars in ways other than the usual ways guitars were used if that makes sense.  

Besides having the standard rhythm part doing chords and lead part adding on top and possibly soloing, we heard guitars on various Pet Sounds tracks acting as percussion instruments, acting like horn sections of a big band phasing with each other, and doing the usual guitar stuff we'd expect.

I zeroed in on this new track, how the guitars are being used and layered - It's a great thing to hear, honestly of all the guitar playing I hear during an average week on many styles of music, I think this kind of sound stands out, even though it's mixed into the track and not a prominent sound.

Listen to how he has one guitar doing the percolating percussive or guitar-as-percussion sound on muted arpeggio-type chord figures, then there is the acoustic adding some chords and intertwined single notes in between, then there are the "lead" electric parts, and also what sounds like some additional layering of the muted arpeggio, percolating sound (or it could be just an effect of the soundscape, I'll need to break out the "good" headphones...).

Whatever the case, I thought it was refreshing to hear that kind of guitar arrangement on a song like this, but coming from the guy who did it so well 50 years ago, it's not as much a surprise as a grand return of a sound I really enjoy hearing, guitar-wise. (or guitar"S", since they're layered...).

Lot of cool stuff going on in there worth checking out.

[Ron]

Just got in from honestly the worst day of my entire life, so new BW/Al/David was most welcome. I really love it. An extremely pretty song.

Thank God it hit you that way, and not the way it's hit some others.  That's what music ultimately is for: to comfort you and entertain you.  You had a horrible day, then Brian Al and David had something beautiful waiting for you. 

Fucking AWESOME

[ontor pertawst]

Al sounds great!

 Thanks for the chords and insight, GF!

I loved this live with Matt Jardine, adds a lot of power and the chorus is ALMOST as catchy as "Sail Away."

[Shady]

The more I listen the more I feel it's just a great, fun Brian Wilson song when he's not in masterpiece mode.

Just Brian at the piano doing what he does best, writing great songs.

[Ron]

I had to listen again with fresh ears, and heard more details. First, as mentioned, Al sounds terrific. I'm starting to think he found the vocal fountain of youth...man, this guy can deliver a lead vocal melody, right on the money. Very cool. I keyed in on the neat arrangement of the instrumental chorus after the bridge, it's cool how the vocal harmonies are swirling around their phrases (I especially like the way the bass voice is mixed, as well as the bass notes being sung) then get "answered" by a short guitar burst. Call and response between vocals and guitar rather than a full-blown guitar solo, very nice. Really nice falsetto part in there as well, I didn't expect some of the notes, especially the last part of the line.

What I keyed in on even more this time was the guitar arrangement. It's a pretty multi-textured and multi-purpose guitar arrangement, for all the parts. Actually, it felt like one of what I think is one of Brian's trademark arranging and orchestrating moves dating back to the Pet Sounds days...How he used multiple guitars in ways other than the usual ways guitars were used if that makes sense.  

Besides having the standard rhythm part doing chords and lead part adding on top and possibly soloing, we heard guitars on various Pet Sounds tracks acting as percussion instruments, acting like horn sections of a big band phasing with each other, and doing the usual guitar stuff we'd expect.

I zeroed in on this new track, how the guitars are being used and layered - It's a great thing to hear, honestly of all the guitar playing I hear during an average week on many styles of music, I think this kind of sound stands out, even though it's mixed into the track and not a prominent sound.

Listen to how he has one guitar doing the percolating percussive or guitar-as-percussion sound on muted arpeggio-type chord figures, then there is the acoustic adding some chords and intertwined single notes in between, then there are the "lead" electric parts, and also what sounds like some additional layering of the muted arpeggio, percolating sound (or it could be just an effect of the soundscape, I'll need to break out the "good" headphones...).

Whatever the case, I thought it was refreshing to hear that kind of guitar arrangement on a song like this, but coming from the guy who did it so well 50 years ago, it's not as much a surprise as a grand return of a sound I really enjoy hearing, guitar-wise. (or guitar"S", since they're layered...).

Lot of cool stuff going on in there worth checking out.

I dabble in guitar... I relistened, I can hear what you're talking about.  The guitar work, especially the base track stuff is very cool.  It'd be interesting to hear what David's contribution to the song was, if that's also him playing those little muted arpeggios the whole time that's really going to be cool.

There's lots of different textures, that part in the middle where it all drops out you hear a couple different guitars poke in and out before David's solo.  

Drums are very solid too, very long sticked, if you know what I mean.  Bap Bap bap Bap!  

I caught the organ too, very cool.  

As far as "Lay Down Burden" it just shares a vaugely similar ascending chorus harmony.  Right... could it be the RIGHT, could it be the RIIIIGHT

Down... lay me DOWN... lay me DOWWWWNNN...

That's a pretty minor similarity that could be even subconscious.  

[Ron]

The more I listen the more I feel it's just a great, fun Brian Wilson song when he's not in masterpiece mode.

Just Brian at the piano doing what he does best, writing great songs.

Yup.  Neat little melody, simple, I guarantee you Brian could do a pretty bang up job of this with just a Piano, and I'll bet Al could do a pretty damn fine job with just guitar.  I'll bet there's people on this board that can already do a pretty good job with just guitar

I'll bet if you took the guy that sings the song 2 minutes after Brian's song on that radio brodcast who is no doubt a hot fresh artist, and had him record this same damn song with just a guitar, it'd be a huge hit.

16 year old girls would think it's awesome.

If Brian just would have stayed 20 years old, he probably could have kept the same exact, screaming, fainting audience they had at the beginning for the past 50 years...

[elnombre]

Just got in from honestly the worst day of my entire life, so new BW/Al/David was most welcome. I really love it. An extremely pretty song.

Thank God it hit you that way, and not the way it's hit some others.  That's what music ultimately is for: to comfort you and entertain you.  You had a horrible day, then Brian Al and David had something beautiful waiting for you. 

Fucking AWESOME

Thanks Ron - and yup, however arduous today was here I am at 3 am still hitting replay every 20 minutes. I first came to The Beach Boys as a serious fan via Pet Sounds as many no doubt do and found the music such a tremendous comfort at a turbulent point in what has so far been a very turbulent life. Tonight Brian & co did that again for me.

I absolutely can't get over how incredible Al sounds. I'd wager that nobody in a million years who didn't know better would guess that this was a 70+ year old man singing. The best preserved voice in all of music for my money. He doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves outside of BB fan circles. Curse of being the quiet one with an unobtrusive personality I guess. A fun experiment would be to play someone this song sandwiched between Rhonda and Sloop and then casually mention that the song in the middle was recorded around 50 years after the others, then just watch their face.

[Vernon Surfer]

Does anyone but me have an issue with the quality of the falsetto?

[Ron]

Not really... I quite liked it.  It's sure not the powerhouse falsetto that Brian possessed at one point, but it's very syrupy and fits well in my opinion. 

it's ALL a little bit different... but i'm glad Brian's tastefully trying new things, new falsetto sounds, etc.

[Vernon Surfer]

I presumed that it was Jeff. I didn't know that Brian still had a falsetto in him.

[Ron]

[He doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves outside of BB fan circles. Curse of being the quiet one with an unobtrusive personality I guess. A fun experiment would be to play someone this song sandwiched between Rhonda and Sloop and then casually mention that the song in the middle was recorded around 50 years after the others, then just watch their face.

Al's going to be one of those guys that gets his due after he dies, unfortunately.  Such a cool dude and such a good singer, he sounds youthful because he probably feels youthful.  I'm glad that he's willing to record with Brian and we get treated to such beautiful music from these guys.  He's literally EXACTLY like he's always been.  Little less hair, everything else is the same.

[Ron]

I presumed that it was Jeff. I didn't know that Brian still had a falsetto in him.

it's not Brian, it's presumably Matt Jardine.

I was just saying that it's not as good as Brian's voice was way back when, but it's a very good falsetto, and i"m glad Brian's trying new falsetto singers.

[18thofMay]

I presumed that it was Jeff. I didn't know that Brian still had a falsetto in him.

it's not Brian, it's presumably Matt Jardine.

I was just saying that it's not as good as Brian's voice was way back when, but it's a very good falsetto, and i"m glad Brian's trying new falsetto singers.

It is not Brian.

[bgas]

I presumed that it was Jeff. I didn't know that Brian still had a falsetto in him.

it's not Brian, it's presumably Matt Jardine.

I was just saying that it's not as good as Brian's voice was way back when, but it's a very good falsetto, and i"m glad Brian's trying new falsetto singers.

It is not Brian.

But of course it's BRian. Who else could take all this and make something special? 

[Micha]

Does anyone but me have an issue with the quality of the falsetto?

I presumed that it was Jeff. I didn't know that Brian still had a falsetto in him.

Interesting - that's what what I liked instantly a lot about the falsetto, that it doesn't sound like Jeff's. Who I think is a very sympathetic guy with great musical skills and talent.

[Kurosawa]

Very, very good song that gets better as it goes along. Just long enough, too. Al sounds amazing. How can this guy be 70?

[stack-o-tracks]

Very, very good song that gets better as it goes along. Just long enough, too. Al sounds amazing. How can this guy be 70?

Agreed, killer song, and it only gets better the more you listen to it!! Though to me, I get to near the end and think "damn I wish this was a minute longer."

Love the parts where Al's harmonizing with who I think is his son, Matt, on those high parts. Definitely has that "family sound" that we all know & love.


I absolutely freaking LOVE that breakdown or whatever you'd call it where it's all "bom bah, bom BAH" and "woooooooOOOO" at the same time.

Those David Marks guitar licks near the beginning remind me a little of Dennis' "You & I", which we know Dave's a fan of....


Love the line "like changin' places with someone in the back of the line" seems very Brianish to me.


THIS ALBUM IS MY FAVORITE ALREADY YA