Begin to experience the music of Charlie Bruber by dropping the needle on the first track of his new record. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by the sheer variety of everything that follows. Prized Burden, Burber’s second album, begins with the song “Charlie?”, a spacey, widescreen instrumental soundscape featuring Burber on an Oberheim OB8 synthesizer, accompanied by co-producer Murphy Janssen on thunderous, larger-than-life drums. The track sounds like a progressive rock band from circa 1973 during an entertaining, if woozy, sound check.
“Charlie?” is one of several somewhat experimental instrumental tracks (calling them “interludes” undercuts their impact) that dot this powerful new record from the multi-talented Minneapolis resident, which follows his debut solo LP, Finding the Muse (2023). Much of Prized Burden is actually rooted in singer-songwriter folk rock. Bruber and a small cadre of deeply talented fellow musicians weave their way through his songs, which seem to harken back to an era of deeply felt, folk-leaning compositions that would sound right at home in an excellent record collection from a bygone yet well-aged era.
The downbeat, minor-key “Complexion” exudes a pastoral warmth that evokes John Martyn, with Charlie Bruber’s acoustic guitar and Jack Barrett’s piano meshing with gleaming vocal harmonies featuring Stephanie Ehrlich. The expert acoustic fingerpicking on “Mother Morning” fits in beautifully with the bass, piano, and Mellotron all played by Bruber (joined again by Ehrlich and the low-key syncopated drumming of JT Bates).
More instrumental wonders follow, such as on the puzzling, ethereal “That Way”, which seems to take cues from the mysterious nature of film scores. Later, tracks like the odd, experimental “Caricature” and the distorted electric stoner fuzz of “I Wanna Play Gtr” serve as unexpected palate cleansers in between the more emotional tales of love and everyday life. The sonic linchpin of the single “Sweet Friend” is Kevin Gastonguay’s Fender Rhodes and Clavinet, bringing a retro edge to an irresistible, catchy ode to a fading friendship: “How can I be who I am,” Bruber sings, “When you think you got me figured out / Why did you stick around my friend / You boxed me in / A means to an end”).
Other highlights include the shimmering soft-rock chug of the title track, the jazzy folk of “Day to Day”, and the curious tropical vibe of “Vai e Volta,” which starts in a simple enough groove before Carla Hassett sings the Portuguese lyrics and stretches the melodies into phrasing that’s both comforting and a bit disarming. Dropping a song with this unusual of a makeup, both lyrically and musically, is an interesting but ultimately perfect choice in a record filled with interesting options.
“Vai e Volta” leads into the closing track, “Up and Around”. This slight but delicious nugget has Charlie Bruber on vocals and acoustic guitar for 48 charming seconds. “He’s gone away / What can I say / He’s here to stay / Up and around you / Don’t you know?” Prized Burden sees Charlie Bruber trying out several different things at which he and his band all collectively excel.
The music may not be uniformly experimental by nature, but the way this unique, utterly lovable record navigates different stylistic paths while maintaining its consistently high quality is a testament to both the artist and the album, which will only improve with every listen.