Published:
June, 2007, West Coast Performer Magazine
The Brides Of Obscurity
"Extended Play"
(Electrokitty Records)
Produced and engineered by Gary Reynolds and The Brides of Obscurity at Electrokitty Recording and London Bridge Studios in Seattle, WA
Additional production and engineering by Masa Fukudome and Johnny Sangster
Mixed by Gary Reynolds at Electrokitty
Recording Mastered by Mark Guenther at Seattle Disc Mastering
By Michael Fortes
Sounding like an American version of Oasis — only without the snotty attitude and over-the-top production — Seattle’s The Brides of Obscurity are amongst the latest Northwest acts to continue the long crawl out of the shadow of grunge. The band’s second release, the sardonically titled Extended Play, contains only five short selections. But what the disc lacks in length, it makes up for in strong pop songwriting; free of filler, any of these songs could easily be considered single-worthy.
In fact, anyone who enjoyed The Brides’ first release, Instant Happiness, will likely experience said feeling when discovering that Extended Play is, in effect, a continuation of the first album — or an extension if you will: more Lennon-esque vocals and sweet pop harmonies, more of that inviting retro electric piano, and more carefully crafted pop songs in the spirit of the 1960s. The Brides’ concise verse-chorus-verse rock ‘n’ roll is given the occasional zinger with lines like, “Once in a while is never gonna last forever / But you know that it’s just as well” on the track “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” The cleverly disguised “Positively Me” is a pop song of the “I love you” variety, where “baby,” “you,” and “I” are actually all referring to the same person. Self-love perhaps, but if you could write pop songs as catchy as The Brides’ Gary Reynolds, you’d probably be writing love songs to yourself, too.
