Brave Bird – T-Minus Grand Gesture

Michigan emotional punk act Brave Bird exemplifies how starting artists should push and refine themselves for the better with each passing release.  Having received constructive feedback from their first full length, Maybe You, No One Else Worth It, the young four-piece has clearly tweaked their sound for the better, tightening up loose ends and further refining their style.  Seven-song mini album follow-up, T-Minus Grand Gesture, serves as the band’s most targeted work to date, marking a well-envisioned step in the right direction.

For starters, Brave Bird feels more comfortable in their skin.  Songs spend less time hiding behind passive chords and more time grabbing the listener’s ear.  As such, melodies and vocals communicate more directly as found in overall shorter song lengths, forcing Brave Bird to get down to business.  Opener “I Don’t Wanna Know” splits itself into two distinct vocal camps in just two minutes.  The first, a rich, dark baritone aided by a restrained instrumental wash, gives way to breakout emotions in the final half’s gut wrenching, heart-on-your-sleeves delivery.  The dichotomy is akin to that of Stroke 9 meets Taking Back Sunday (emphasis on the Taking Back Sunday). 

Beyond the opening song, Brave Bird continues to shine brightest from intra-track variation.  Follow-up “Rekindle” takes a ‘high meets low’ approach that partitions chorus and verse.  The initial vocals establish a casual intro further complimented by relaxed chords that contrast when each chorus’ crescendo amps up, mirrored by some Max Bemis (Say Anything) worthy vocal angst.  If T-Minus Grand Gesture has a pattern, this would be it.  Thankfully the band isn’t without a few more tricks – like the cascading math-rock surfacing throughout “Hard Enough” and “Macaroni Time,” or the downtrodden acoustic wail of “Open Up Your Mouth.”  Collectively, these highs and lows help balance out the prevailing moan/whine dominating the band’s prior career output.

Brave Bird has come a long way in a short time; and T-Minus Grand Gesture showcases the quartet’s dedication to forward progress.  While still offering plenty of room for growth (i.e. expanding on and developing various stylistic combinations), Brave Bird offers fans and newcomers a solid reason to join the present round and look forward to the next.