Here's To The Future

Album Review

You have to admire Stephen Brodsky's diversity. People who know Brodsky for his work as Cave In's lead singer or his freelance bass playing for Converge associate him with alternative metal, but as a solo artist he has favored a totally different approach. In fact, there is nothing even remotely alt-metal about Here's to the Future, an alternative pop/rock and indie rock effort with a strong psychedelic influence. Brodsky the solo artist has made no secret of his love of the Beatles, and the Fab Four's post-1965 output is a major inspiration on Here's to the Future. Brodsky sounds like he has been spending a lot of time listening to Magical Mystery Tour, the White Album, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — that is, the Beatles at their most psychedelic rather than the power pop Beatles of A Hard Day's Night. And yet, Here's to the Future is far from a carbon copy of the Beatles' psychedelic material; the eccentricity on this 2010 release also owes something to artists ranging from early-'70s David Bowie to lo-fi rockers of the '90s and 2000s. Here's to the Future favors a very hazy production style, which works well with Brodsky's psychedelic leanings. When this 38-minute CD is playing, it's hard to believe that this is the same Stephen Brodsky who has been embracing alt-metal with Cave In. Of course, Brodsky isn't the only artist who has eclectic tastes; for example, the same Athan Maroulis who has performed industrial rock and darkwave with Spahn Ranch has also performed as a romantic jazz crooner with his '40s-flavored project the Blue Dahlia. But if Brodsky's eclecticism doesn't make him unique, it certainly makes him broadminded. Anyone who can perform alt-metal convincingly and sound equally convincing when he performs psychedelic-influenced alternative pop/rock deserves credit — and Brodsky is definitely convincing on Here's to the Future.