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Single Review: Brother and Bones – To Be Alive

It’s almost 3 years since I fell head over arse over heels in love with Brother and Bones’ music. Stumbling aimlessly into a basement in Brighton for the Great Escape 2011, I expected to be subjected to a typically synthed up pile of indie bullshit and was surrounded by nodding A&Rs as we all yearned to discover that next big thing. In this basement though, it was a hotbed of primal energy. Because that is what Brother and Bones are about; immensely powerful rock and blues riffs that have you jumping up and down on the spot like a maniac.

Three years on and there seems to be a shift in the bands tact – towards a new emphasis on lead singer Richard Thomas’ voice. The Cornish five piece haven’t completely ditched the rolling raucous bass lines, but there is a subtle shift towards showcasing the tremendous vocal range of the pint-sized Jack Sparrow lookalike Thomas. New single ‘To Be Alive’ is testament to this understated change of direction. The video is a sepia showcase of a band who obviously are an extremely tight unit, spending every waking minute on the road joshing about. There are even a few shots from their live shows, which I can pray testament to by saying they are best experience live. With double drummers the sound they make is absolutely massive and in Richard Thomas they have a humble and amicable frontman.

The final 30 seconds of To Be Alive are testament to the beautiful soulful rock and roll that Brother and Bones have been producing for the last three years. I can only hope that their new EP will be when the rest of the world realises what a gem in the British music scene that Brother and Bones are.

8.5/10

The ‘To Be Alive’ EP by Brother and Bones will be out on the 4th of November on Last Step Records. Watch the promo video for the title track below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s20kRj7V7g[/youtube]