Give a talented musician an acoustic guitar and ask him to record an album (on mostly first takes) in a living room and Coyotes is what you get. It is this simplicity, that musicians often have with their first albums, that can be forgotten in later albums. As they drive to expand their art it generally means more instruments and more sound. For this reason I’m often a bigger fan of musicians' earlier work and it is rare that albums from big bands do it for me (although Im a sucker for the big band live sound). Brian Borcherdt has gone against this trend and allowed us to appreciate his songwriting talents, those of which we have not seen since the Remains of Brian Borcherdt, by releasing this stripped down album with songs which can leave you feeling like they are demos from an up-and-coming artist.
Borcherdts past solo works (Remains of Brian Borcherdt Volume 1 and 2, Moth) and his group work (Holy F*ck frontman) are anywhere from electronica to rock but some of his previous works (‘Motel’ and ‘1000x’) did allow for a little foreshadowing of his acoustic prowess that can be seen on Coyotes. To say Coyotes is a simple album might be an understatement. He doesn’t use complex guitar strumming to carry the song (like a Jose Gonzalez does) and his voice is usually a quiet hush but Borcherdt somehow conveys the emotion of the song with ease. Even in Borcherdts live act he seems to whisper at the mic and yet his haunting voice surrounds the venue and there is no demand for more from the stage. Here is to hoping that albums like this garner attention to ensure that if musicians want to strip it down and go for a raw sound they know people will be accepting. Again, here is a Camera Music video and picture of me with Borcherdt.
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