Album Review: BYOBrass — 'Breathe'

<a href="https://byobrass.bandcamp.com/album/breathe">Breathe by BYOBrass</a>

Breathe, the latest album by Cedar Falls-born BYOBrass, opens with an earthy soul groove in its opening track “Inner Turmoil.” Its melodic notes are pillows that lay upon each other, until they create this soft bed of a beautiful chord. Penned by bandmember Andrew Piper, the track has a spiritual tone with a sense that everything has a place to belong, much like the notes of the melody, or the members within the group itself.

Which is saying something when BYOBrass consists of 10 players, six of whom have been with the group since their start at the University of Northern Iowa. Active member and manager Dan Benson founded the group in 2017, and after eight years and two albums, they’re still growing strong. Every single cog in this musical powerhouse is a top-notch, world-class performer. When a group has that kind of longevity, you know there has to be a real love and respect for the vision among the members.

Each member brings something meaningful to the table, unlike a lot of big bands that are propelled by a single talent at the center. One only needs to take a look at the album’s song credits to see that almost half of the members contributed as songwriters or arrangers.

Take “Lunch Money” by drummer Kyler Boss, a tough-as-nails funk/EDM jam laden with strut and wobble. It’s also the only track marked with an “E for explicit” rating on the tracklist — though this rating might be tongue-in-cheek, as the intro contains the only words on the track, and any expletive uttered is bleeped out. Either way, this is a late-night ripper that will not stop when the cops pound on your door at 3 a.m., futilely asking you to please turn the music down.

My personal favorite, and their number-one song on streaming currently, is the album closer “RPE10” by trombonist Paul Lichty. The song has the sound of a great noir soundtrack, but also the angular rhythms of a long prog rock jam. Until now, never has a song made me long to, at once, wear a trench coat and fedora while also raising a metal sign to the sky. It’s full of great musical tension that explodes with a fiery trumpet solo. If you listened to it on the highway, be prepared to get a ticket; the hypnotic nature of the tempo will propel you well past speed limits.

On another track by Lichty, “Ned’s Rag,” BYOBrass pays homage to the brass band tradition of New Orleans. You can almost taste the crawfish boil in the groove. In a display of their versatility, the group also hits pop covers of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and Sam Smith’s “Unholy” out of the park.

Listening to this album is like going shopping for clothes with that friend who, no matter what they wear, looks like a million bucks. BYOBrass approach music from so many directions and, frankly, succeed no matter the angle. Much like their live show, you can’t walk away and not feel something after listening to this album. That something is pretty amazing.