Brad
United We Stand

Yesterday was not a good day for me.

In the early afternoon, I went for a quick hike along the trails surrounding my home, unfortunately realizing that the recent heavy snowfall has left a dramatic mark. Dozens of fallen trees, due to the weight of the soaking wet snow, blocked much of the path between the austere hamlets of Anzuno and Tappia. Even a small landslide near the Cappella dell'Oro forced me to find an alternative route through ancient beech trees to avoid worse troubles. I documented this disaster with a series of photographs that I've already sent to the local section of the Italian Alpine Club, hoping that this destruction can be remedied as soon as possible.

Back home, I read on Debaser, thanks to a listen by nangaparbat, news that left me cold.

Shawn Smith, singer of Satchel and especially, at least for me, of Brad, has died at just 53 years old, apparently due to complications from diabetes. Another precious part of my youth is gone; because I truly adored Stone Gossard's extra Pearl Jam project. All five albums that Brad released, with extreme sparseness over the span of about twenty years, belong to my vast collection, placed in that section that encompasses the brownish and rainy Seattle scene I loved so much in the '90s.

I hadn't listened to their entire work for a while; and it was an emotional pleasure to dive back into the warm sound, heavily imbued with Soul, built by the band over an important career.

Forget the raw harshness of the Seattle Sound because with Brad we are in a completely different place.

Much more akin to the calmness, the underlying sadness of Mad Season.

Melancholic songs, with a minimal dose of guitars; everything revolves in the rarefied music of Brad around Shawn's voice. A falsetto of remarkable impact: fiery, soulful, full of pathos and dark moods. Some hints to a rich Rock Blues as happens in the closing "Waters Deep."

"Tea Bag" is the only episode that can be traced back to Pearl Jam: an obsessive drum, a screeching guitar...but it is just a quick excursion into Seattle's furious past.

Right after comes the masterpiece of the album, "Through The Day," a long ballad resting on a repeated sound of a distant piano. And it is always the voice of the late Shawn that elevates the over five minutes of the track to immense spaces.

A small great wonder...THE ONLY WAY...

Forever with me...

Ad Maiora.