Brain Surgeons

[John A Swartz]

> I have yet to hear anything by the Brain Surgeons.  What BOC material could yo
u
> compare them too???

Andrew's points about trying to compare tBS to BOC may be a bit difficult,
and not entirely fair.  Of course, if you like alot of the BOC music
that Albert wrote (and that was quite alot up to 1981), then tBS will
probably appeal to you as well - often heavy, sometimes humourous, and
fairly diverse.  In fact, the diversity of tBS probably is a bit
detrimental from a marketing perspective because it's hard to really
"label" them - especially true on *Eponymous* which has a wide range of
musical styles (the other "problem" that some have with it is that due to
the fact that it's mostly Albert and Deb doing most of the work, and
having a more limited budget at the time to do things, it doesn't have
the feel of being a "band" album - contrast that with *Trepanation*, which
was recorded by a band that has played together numerous times, along with
some better equipment and a heavier mix).  Also, there are some songs
on tBS albums that were written years ago, so some of them certainly
have a BOC-ish feel to them, at least instrumentally (with Deb's vocals,
most of these songs take on a totally new dimension, although Albert does
do around 30-40% of the lead vocals.  Especially with *Trepanation*, it
will be obvious that tBS are a guitar-oriented band, and that the music
(especially live) is on the heavy side - some have called it "classic
rock with a modern twist", which I like as a description.  It really
seems to have a nice blend of the sounds of the 70's, 80's, and 90's all
rolled into one.

Also, some of the BOC tunes that tBS have covered in their live shows
might give some indication of their sound (well, maybe):  Career of Evil,
Baby Ice Dog, Cities on Flame, Dominance and Submission, The Red and the
Black

Before *Box of Hammers*, I would usually recommend potential tBS listeners
first check out *Trepanation*, which is heavier, a bit more cohesive, and
more representative of tBS live sound.  From what I've heard so far from
both the band and folks who've heard the new songs, *Box of Hammers* will
be an even further step forward from the previous efforts -- so, it may
make sense to start with that one, especially since it will be available
by Christmas if you get your order in by November 1st.

Of course, these comments are coming from someone who has seen and met the
band on a few ocassions, has fairly regular e-mail correspondence with
the band's founders, and has used the Internet where possible to try and
promote the band -- so some would probably say I'm not exactly objective.
On the other hand, the proof is in the pudding - The Brain Surgeons, as
an artist, probably gets more time in my CD player than any of the artists
that I listen to.  So, I like to think that my main reason for supporting
them is because the music is good.

John