Brass

After releasing a few EPs under the name North Star Infinite, the newly-named Brass is ready to re-emerge and re-invent themselves as a band. After a few changes in their line up (mainly their drummers), they finally established their sound in the freshly-released Set & Drift. Set & Drift is an 8-song EP filled with heavy, exploding guitars and angsty vocals. Songs like "The Optimist" and "Seperate Boadies" are fast-paced, melodramatic rock songs that can break this band into the mainstream. The epic and dreamy ballad "Exhales" broadens their large sound and rounds up the versitility of their EP. If Brass plays their cards right, they have a formula that can march them right up the Modern Rock charts. You can catch Brass this Saturday, February 2nd, at an all-ages show at Siren Records in Doylestown with Kris Roe from the The Ataris, Except After Sea, and All in a Year. - phillygirlabouttown.com

It took the exit of four different drummers for Philly five-piece North Star Infinite to start anew as Brass. “We felt like each new drummer sort of eroded more and more what we thought we were creating,” says guitarist Jason Bucci. “Ian Murray began playing with us in April, and things felt very, very different to the point where being North Star Infinite felt old and tired.”

Which brings us to Brass, named partly in tribute to Bucci’s great uncle Jimmy Schultz, an accomplished brass and woodwind player. Following two EPs as North Star Infinite, Brass have checked in with one of their own, the self-released Set & Drift. The band’s new direction is less of the lean punk and post-punk of NSI and more of a syrupy, dreamy take on math-core. The eight songs on Set & Drift take their time, unfolding sometimes in a tidal sway (“Exhales”) and sometimes in full-body grappling (“The Optimist”).

These songs seem more radio-ready than those of North Star Infinite, perhaps because radio has only recently caught up to heavy, atmospheric rock inspired by math-y punk and hardcore. It helps that most of the EP is thoughtfully slow, and that singer/guitarist’s Joe Webber’s vocals are crystal clear at all times. The grabbiest tune, though, is the fiery opener “Autumn Hex Signs,” which spills over with angst and gets nicely shout-y at the end.

After the initial adrenaline rush of that song and “The Optimist,” Set & Drift settles into a more adrift, exploratory affair. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. “Tall Ships” makes the most of its pretty guitars and nautical hang-ups, “The Sky Electric” burrows intently into itself, and “Separate Bodies” uses open space and instrumental tension to suggest that Brass could explode again at any given moment.

by Doug Wallen - Philadelphia Weekly (1/23/08)

BRASS’ Set & Drift is an intriguing study in contrasts and juxtaposition, where soaring melodies and heart-rending crescendos wash over combustive, tightly-wound arrangements and knotty instrumental interplay. What’s more is it’s all seamlessly underscored by oceans of textures and turbulent progressions, giving the record an almost otherworldly feel.



Rooted somewhere between the math-y, lean post-punk structures of early Jawbox and the 90’s D.C. scene and more exploratory, dramatic stylings of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate or Circa Survive, this Philadelphia quintet’s 8-song debut manages to be both thoughtful and tumultuous without sacrificing atmosphere, intimacy or intensity. With an uncanny ability to churn out continually-suspenseful buildups that always deliver a rush of adrenaline to the head and gut, Brass’ stormy sound is more like a slow-rising, unstoppable tidal wave of dynamic resonance than a tsunami that’s here before you ever knew it was coming.



While the band is perhaps less discordant than many of their peers, Set & Drift can be intensely jarring and unsettlingly haunting all at once. Songs like “The Sea Breathing / The Sky Electric” somehow feel epic within the span of four minutes; echoing waves of reverb dissolve into angular guitars and twisting rhythms while Joe Webber’s confident vocals rise above, ringing bright and true. It’s a potent mix that, in theory, shouldn’t work…but perhaps that’s why the payoff at the end of Set & Drift’s 30 minutes of beautifully clashing aesthetics is so completely satisfying. - Chuck Daley - Beartrap PR

Mars Volta anyone? This review is a long time coming. Not an ounce of error on this one. Lightning-fast changes and a structure more dynamic than anything like it. The instrumentation is solid and engineering is top-notch. At times, it seems like they're trying to be a bit too much like TMV. However from an instrumental standpoint, if you can get to about half that level, you're in good shape. An epic endeavor on which you could see they took their time and rocked it out. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Dominic Nicosia - Origivation Magazine