Headphones – Self-Titled
Label: Suicide Squeeze Records
Style: Indie Rock
Released: 2005
My Grade: 3 stars
AMG: 3.5
Sounds like: Pedro the Lion, Richard Swift, Elliott Smith


All the pre-release hype for this release hinted that David Brazan (of Pedro the Lion fame) was making a synth/electronic album. This was such a trippy idea that I could not wait to get this baby into my hands. Upon hearing this record I have good news and bad news. The bad news is I was expecting a sound with a little Depeche Mode, maybe a little Joy Electric influence but none of that could be heard on this album. The good news is I’m glad I didn’t because this is a tremendous release. David picks up where he left off on Pedro’s “Achilles Heel.” The lyrics continue to be dark and dreary with very little hope in them. To me some of the electronics here can be heard in some of the songs on “Achilles Heel.” If you remove the Headphones label this is essentially a Pedro the Lion release. “Natural Disaster” might stir up a little controversy with its reference to the hijacked planes that crashed into the twin towers on 9/11. The song doesn’t stop there; it takes an apparent shot at the Bush administration. I think that it is a solid song, one that gets better upon each listen. Just be careful to not take the lyrics out of context because if you do you could totally get the wrong idea. “Hello Operator” is probably one of the most sadistic tunes penned by Davey it ends with the cryptic lines, “you should not have been unfaithful, you should not have ever fucked with me.” The lines that lead up to that makes this quite a spine chiller.

Brazan is accompanied by his long time friend T.W. Walsh and Frank Lenz who handles the drumming duties quite wonderfully. This is one of Frank’s best drumming efforts which is saying a lot considering the multitude of albums he’s played on over the years. Musically the songs are pretty bare which pairs together well with the powerful yet simple lyrics. The electronics are a nice addition to the standard guitar, drum and bass and never get in the way. The intro to the first song “Gas and Matches” demonstrates this. It is an eerie sounding 80’s synth beat thing that sounds like Tommy Tutone got possessed by Rosemary’s baby, yes it sounds that good. I hope this won’t be the last Headphones album, being another outlet for Mr. Brazan to create music through. On the downside songs tend to sound the same after awhile the exception to this is the acoustic based “Slow Car Crash,” which fittingly is the closing track. Also the lyrics sound as if there wasn’t a lot of time spent on them unlike David’s previous work. I could be wrong but it just sounds that way. This is by far his most depressing CD yet so if you don’t might cursing and violence in your rock n’ roll pick this disc up, and if not do so any way it’ll help keep the boogey monster away…

Reviewed by: Aaron

Official Website: headphonesmusic.com