Tracking this down proved to be something of a challenge. Then again, I suppose the same goes for just about any limited private pressing that's a quarter century old or older. Speaking purely in terms of artistic approach and sonic demeanor,
Brave Tears' Silver in the Darkness ep is no revelation - not by a long shot in fact. Quite simply, I'm enamored by the tunes. Unlike so much of the retro fare I'm wont to indulge in, there's really nothing post-punk, post-modern, or post any damn thing about this long decommissioned Anaheim five-piece. Granted, Brave Tears skirt around the periphery of several indie guitar pop aggregations of their day, and to a lesser extent, '70s AM radio fare, but there's not an iota of "agenda" occupying any of these five grooves, from "Flippin' Through's" buoyant, jangly lilt, to the driving panache of "Jenny's Dyin'" or "The Wait." I'm flattered to finally have this record in my clutches, and I hope you'll be motivated to give it a whirl at your leisure.
Mark McLay, half of the vocal presence in Brave Tears, has since pursued
this endeavor, which I also thoroughly endorse.
01. The Wait
02. Flippin' Through
03. Jenny's Dyin'
04. Shadow Fades Away
05. Baby's Got a Lover
Hear
7 comments:
Interesting. I was trying to look up the band, but did find Mark McLay and the Dustdevils on a Youtube vid on "Love Is Still Here," from 2008. I'm guessing it's the same guy.
That's him. Good song that.
Great classic. This dude isn't so popular but his music it's something special. Thanks for share this nice music with us.
xl pharmacy
I was a member of Brave Tears. Mark and Bret McLay were a dynamic duo of singer/songwriters for their time. The music touched my soul and I really enjoyed playing bass for them. With Jim Monroe on drums and Jim Tarrant on guitar, we played just about every original music club in the L.A. area. The sad, untimely passing of Bret broke my heart. I will always miss him. With only a 45 and an EP under our belts, there was more work to be done. Unfortunately that was not in the cards. I'm glad to see Mark has pursued his music with the Dustdevils. I have been working on my own projects and hope to have them on CD Baby soon. A shout out to all former members - keep the music alive, Bret's listening! Thanks
Larry Smolinsky lsmolinsky@aol.com
Hello there
Could you please re-up this one?
Hope you're well
take care
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