?“Grass Punks” is Tom Brosseau’s seventh LP and his first solo album in the past five years. His simple, Americana folk music is pleasant to the ear and details a larger story. He touches on themes of loyalty, betrayal, false dreams and perseverance. The nine track LP is short and sweet; with a running time of only a half hour, it has no room for excess. Brosseau focuses more on his storytelling abilities than his music, which makes the album more in tune with traditional folk music.
?The first song on the album, “Cradle Your Device,” begins with the strumming of an acoustic guitar and the soft moan “Something has come between us / And no it ain’t what you think.” The song is about the death of a relationship due to technology and the lack of communication our generation has. This ballad of dying love in the modern era can be applied to many people in the current generation. Similarly, the third track, “Tami,” continues the string of love ballads. Brosseau’s wistful words take him back to his “very first kiss.” Lyrics full of imagery are a constant here, such as “Standing besides a clear, baby-blue pool / I didn’t know how to be, I kinda felt like a fool” and “Socks pulled up to her knees / Cut off stoned wash Levi’s and a shirt from the Florida Keys.” The repetition of certain words and phrases such as “Tami” and “the only boy that she liked at school” bring back the memories of being young and excited, a time when everything was simple and a girl’s words could light up the world.
?“Love High John The Conqueror Root” brings a hip-hop styled energy that only folk greats such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young have channeled before. Few folk artists can pull this off well, and Brosseau’s attempt is a refreshing take on the genre. Repetition of certain arpeggios and quick, spoken word lyrics are the key to this technique. Brosseau handles the challenge, melding together multiple harmonies and layering his lyrics on top of each other with complex rhyme schemes that is reminiscent of Dylan greats, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts.”
?The final three songs are all well constructed and chock-full of stories and emotion. “Gregory Page of San Diego” seems to detail some of the emotions he felt moving from North Dakota to sunny Southern California many years ago. Surprisingly, a mandolin is brought into play to serve as the hook for the song. This is the only other instrument on the album besides a light synth on “Today Is a New Day” and the two acoustic guitars that are in every song. “I Love to Play Guitar” is a simple and fun song that does not contain any lyrics until almost two minutes in. “We Were Meant to be Together” is another longing song that talks about his past relationships and how they still affect him. It is full of clever and romantic lines such as “We’re souls of crazy mirth / We are the last inhabitants of the Earth.”
This 37-year-old, North Dakota bred troubadour has spent his entire life dedicated to music and that expertise comes out into the open on this release. His DIY recording is present and creates a cozy atmosphere for his music. His smoky, shadowy voice accompanies the soft strums of his acoustic guitar, creating a nostalgic feel. Brosseau had this to say about his album on the Crossbill Records website: “Grass Punks at once brought to my mind an earthen smoldering stick, used to light a wick or ward off peskiness, but now it stands for something greater, a sort of heading for everything I believe in when it comes to my brand of folk music.” There isn’t a better way to describe the album, and if you have any desire to hear modern, indie folk that is more poignant and meaningful than Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers then Tom Brosseau is your man and “Grass Punks” is your prescription.
