Peter Broderick
4 Track Songs
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Label: Type
Like many musicians starting off, an initiation into recording usually started with a four track recorder, a simple way to jot down musical notes and ideas- a audio diary of sorts. Often crude in sound, a demo was obviously never meant to be a finished product, but rather a tool to get a label interested enough in you to get you into a studio. But what happens when an artist's four track recordings make their way onto an official album release, as is?
Having already established himself with four previous releases, Peter Broderick's 4 Track Songs is a collection of early work still in developmental stages, before he ever released a proper album. Instead of complete songs, the listener is getting an inside peek into the creative process of Broderick's songwriting and recording. Some tracks are nothing more than quick sketches of a future song, maybe an attempt to capture the DNA for something that may develop somewhere down the road; "Nothing," "Three Cats" and "G Major" last less than a minute each. Others seem more complete, but without vocals or a rhythm track, such as "For Pop," which works as a nice duet between banjo and violin, not necessarily requiring other accompaniment. Despite each song's respective status of completion, it's obvious that these songs were either not ready for recording or were just never going to see the light of day.
To gauge this body of work traditionally would not be fair, as this is not a traditional release. For fans of Broderick, this is a worthwhile release, as the chance to hear new material from his early catalogue gives a unique perspective into the creative process. If this album is your first taste of his work, in no way would it make for an accurate summation.
by Josh Vietti
