Avant-progressive is a genre that has to be taken in small chunks if you’re new to it, or the complicated time signatures and sudden violent stops might scare weaker ears off. It is fair to say that no one regularly produces such fine releases in the genre as Cuneiform Records does. This is their newest discovery, and you can read about them at the label’s Bandcamp site:
“Brown vs Brown are a intense and stunningly tight ‘rehearsal-intensive’ avant-garde rock band from Amsterdam, Holland formed in 2000. The band’s electrifying chemistry quickly made itself apparent: A love/hate relationship with jazz, a quirky alt/punk-rock mindset and the genuine need to create a new music that is coherent and personal, became their common ground in the hard-working years that followed.
After 5 years of joint creative exploits and playing hundreds of concerts throughout Europe, Brown vs Brown has developed a musical universe that categorically denies stylistic description. Seemingly contrasting elements clash and recombine: meticulous composition vs. improvisation, complexity vs. raw energy, and breakneck stumble rhythms vs. irresistible swing. Brown vs Brown takes great pride in its reputation as a powerhouse live act,,and feels as confident playing the consecrated ground of jazz-temples as well as the beer-soaked floors of ill-lit alt-rock clubs, leaving all of these audiences flabbergasted.
Dirk Bruinsma is known to long-time Cuneiform followers as a co-founder and co-leader of Blast, who recorded several brilliant albums for us. While Blast has moved more into a ‘improvised-music’ direction, Brown vs Brown builds upon the the composed, angular, intricate tough-edged and aggressive, avant-progressive sound of Blast’s earlier works, as well as groups like Henry Cow, Zs, Doctor Nerve, the Magic Band and Extra Life.“
