Album Review: Brandy And The Butcher – Dick Circus (Remastered)

Brandy And The Butcher only released their debut album “Dick Circus” last year, so there is a question mark as to why it needs a remastered version so soon, something that is normally reserved for those pricey deluxe anniversary reissues. The answer to this question is simple, the original release of “Dick Circus” in 2020 was one that was mixed and mastered with a retro sound in mind for the vinyl release of the album, now with the CD version available the album has been remastered, if the original version of “Dick Circus” was a step back in time then the remastered version brings the album back into the modern age.

I’m not going to re-review the whole of “Dick Circus“, you can read my thoughts on the original release here, instead I’m comparing the two versions of the album, from the opening of ‘Ballerina‘ the whole thing sounds crisper and sharper, it’s also louder, quite a bit louder. Whilst there is the same sleazy proto punk feel to the album, every track on “Dick Circus” feels reenergised and upgraded. A good remaster should leave the character of the songs intact whilst breathing new life into past recordings, whilst this usually happens over a longer timespan that’s exactly what has been done with “Dick Circus“.

The two versions of “Dick Circus” have a very different feel to them, which you prefer will be down whether your tastes are embedded in the past or not, whereas the original master had a an authentic 70’s punk feel about it, this new version has brought Brandy And The Butcher back to the future. The remastering of “Dick Circus” emphasises just how important the underrated art of mastering can be, for me this is how the album should have sounded in the first place, although I acknowledge that I almost exclusively stream music so this mix suits that better, but if you’re an analogue vinyl junkie then Brandy And The Butcher have got your back as well.

You can stream and purchase the original and remastered versions of “Dick Circus” here