Briar Rabbit

He may be B.B. King’s nephew, but don’t expect Briar Rabbit (known to close friends as Phillip-Michael Scales) to follow in his uncle’s bluesy footsteps. A self-described “thought-pop” musician, Rabbit focuses on lyrics the way King focused on the electric guitar, presenting himself as a modern storyteller/crooner instead of a throwback ax-shredder. - American Songwriter

He may be B.B. King’s nephew, but don’t expect Briar Rabbit (known to close friends as Phillip-Michael Scales) to follow in his uncle’s bluesy footsteps. A self-described “thought-pop” musician, Rabbit focuses on lyrics the way King focused on the electric guitar, presenting himself as a modern storyteller/crooner instead of a throwback ax-shredder. - American Songwriter

He may be B.B. King’s nephew, but don’t expect Briar Rabbit (known to close friends as Phillip-Michael Scales) to follow in his uncle’s bluesy footsteps. A self-described “thought-pop” musician, Rabbit focuses on lyrics the way King focused on the electric guitar, presenting himself as a modern storyteller/crooner instead of a throwback ax-shredder. - American Songwriter

I worked my way backwards through Briar Rabbit’s catalogue: I started with the ridiculously good EP The Great Routine, which is, as Scales mentioned yesterday in the interview, the story of a minstrel actor. However, it’s impossible to start there and not explore further; and Briar Rabbit & the Company You Keep is also a great record. So instead of splitting this up and just reviewing one or the other, I’m going to combine reviews so that I can talk about every song I want to.



TO CHECK OUT THE BRIAR RABBIT INTERVIEW FROM YESTERDAY, CLICK HERE



On the song “Tread Lightly,” Scales sings, “You’re beautiful and skittish, unconventional and kind”– and that definition seems to suit his records perfectly, too. Briar Rabbit & the Company You Keep is a record full of songs that all seem to do different things and illustrate different talents; I see why Scales calls the band “thought-pop”, because it’s hard to define with normal genre conventions. Briar Rabbit is a pop act in the same way that the Barenaked Ladies and Steven Page are; it’s kind of pop music, but it feels trite to call it that. Scales tells stories in every song, and with remarkable word play. For example (and speaking of Steven Page, check out the vocals in this chorus and tell me if they aren’t close), in the title track, “The Company You Keep,” Scales sings–



There’s a ghost upstairs, he stamps, he shouts, he screams until the morning
But it’s the melody that he always sings that keeps me from sleeping
And there’s a girl somewhere I guess you could say that she got away though I disagree
Cause her beauty was a welcome mat, she said “wipe your feet and hang your hat”
But I couldn’t stay for long

They say you’re only as good as the company you keep
but lately I’ve been keeping to myself
I never understood what it meant anyhow







By using repetition of words but varying the meanings, this song seems new every time; there’s always something I didn’t catch the first time around. And what I have to keep reminding myself is that this is Briar Rabbit’s first record– it’s only going to get better and more interesting from here.



One of the most impressive things about this record, though, is how many different sounds are incorporated; the record kicks off with a relaxed acoustic guitar part on “Numbers,” but even that doesn’t stay the same for very long– there’s a killer electric guitar line that emphasizes later parts of the song, and the percussion is crushing. “All My Words” feels like a James-Taylor-esque singer/songwriter unrequited love song; it’s beautiful and pleasant, and the backup vocals feel very old school. The bells and keys give it an ethereal feel, too. But “All My Words” is almost immediately followed by my favorite track on the disk, which is “Note to Self: Make New Mistakes.”



“Note To Self: Make New Mistakes” has some of the best lyrics on the disk, which is a huge part of the attraction. Scales is clearly someone who takes technique and metaphor seriously, and it shows best in the opening of this track:



You play the boyscout trying to put fires out
but you always end up in flames
Whenever you try to save the day
But you still try and save the day
Sometimes a house has to burn before anyone learns
Sometimes the best teacher is pain
and you just have to look away







There aren’t enough songs devoted to suffering– just vague suffering, not a specific heartbreak. Scales doesn’t just talk about suffering, though; he talks about ways to live through it. This might be the thread that keeps bringing me to so many artists from different backgrounds, because the best artist I can think of who writes stories like this is Al James of Dolorean, though I wouldn’t begin to compare their music. My favorite musical moment here is the vocal doubling towards the end of the song– it’s got a warmth that is reflected in the lyrics. Just a gorgeous song, lyrically, and full of energy.





And once you’ve finally recovered from all of the different styles and sounds of & The Company You Keep, and you are hungry for more– there’s The Great Routine, which I would argue is one of the most cohesive, solid EPs I’ve heard this year. As many different instruments and styles are represented on the first record, this record could not be more different: a complete story in four songs, book-ended with haunting, disturbing versions of “Old Folks at Home”. The first song, “Coon,” literally introduces the character of the minstrel performer– a 22-year-old who has made the decision to perform in these degrading shows.



Could I dance without strings?
And still make you laugh?
And smile when I sing?
Never seen the puppeteer’s eyes
But they’re supposed to be kind
and this life’s so easy on the mind
My people tell me I’m turning the screw
They don’t understand
The world loves a Coon







The song, which is covered in beautiful strings and swee - Kate Darby Recommends

Briar Rabbit: Each Taste day is themed. This is Singer/Songwriter Day, which of course brings to mind a performer strumming a guitar while laying a soul bare. No more. Singer-songwriters such as Briar Rabbit (Philip-Michael Scales) create sensitive, soul-searching tunes that don't activate the cheese filters. Between the intelligent lyrics and busy arrangements is delight. Yes, he's singing and strumming. Yes, you will see the words "intelligent" and "busy" and think it's some dude just showing how smart he is. Wrong. - Chicago Tribune

Both the lead vocals and the instrumentation on Briar Rabbit and the Company You Keep have the ability to be gentle without sounding weak, and that gives the album its most powerful moments. The songs are vagabonded and yet have a solid base in the tight, live-sounding performance and production, and in Phillip-Michael's songwriting expertise. - Windy City Rock

Musically, structurally, production quality-wise, this does not seem like a debut record. The songs are ultra-catchy and when he's hitting on all cylinders, he's as good or better than a lot of well-known names. - Chicago This and That

Above all, The Company You Keep makes me set the album to repeat, engrossed in the instrumentation, intrigued by the lyrics, and excited about how else Briar Rabbit evolve - Made-fun.com

"All throughout Briar Rabbit and the Company You Keep, Scales invites the listener to share in his story of getting from point A to point B, which as it turns out, is one that most of us can relate to. A record played with impressive instrumental proficiency and written with a noticeable sense of earnestness, Briar Rabbit and the Company You Keep is a debut from a newly budding project that is going to surprise you with how well developed it is." - Reviewsic