Close Counts is the second studio album from the American rock band the Brixton Riot.

Close Counts
Studio album by
Released6 October 2017
StudioMagpie Cage
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock
Length36:15
LabelMint 400 Records
ProducerJ. Robbins
The Brixton Riot chronology
Palace Amusements
(2012)
Close Counts
(2017)

Content

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The eleven-track album was digitally released with Mint 400 Records on 6 October 2017, and self-released on compact disc. The basic tracks were recorded live on tape in twenty hours, over a course of two days, and it was engineered by J. Robbins at his Baltimore-based studio, Magpie Cage.[1] Robbins also provides backing vocals on the opening track, "Can't Stop Now." The band explains "we spent a lot of time getting the arrangements and parts finalized before recording[;] we recorded an entire "demo version" of the record before we went into the studio."[2] The album is described as a blend of power pop and alt rock, and it draws comparison to the music of Superdrag, Sugar, Big Star, and Teenage Fanclub.[1] The song "Little Sparks" predates their first release, Sudden Fiction.[2]

The record release party was held at Asbury Yacht Club with Dentist, and the Rock N Roll Hi Fives, and hosted by CoolDad Music.[3] The lead track "Can't Stop Now" appears on the 2018 Mint 400 Records compilation album, NJ / NY Mixtape.

Reception

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Dagger calls the album "straight ahead tunes with punchy guitars," noting "Jerry Lardieri has a smooth croon."[4] Bob Makin in Institute for Nonprofit News calls out two of the tracks, "The Ballad of Pete Best" and "Little Spark" as "exceptional nuggets." He describes "Little Spark" as a "love song for vinyl junkies in the spirit of "Left of the Dial," adding that the song boasts "a Jam/Style Council-like Motown-inspired bassline from the effortlessly talented Steve Hass; the tune also sports one of the best verses this year by a local band."[3] The album was ranked No. 9 by Makin in The Aquarian Weekly's Top Albums of 2017.[5]

A review by James Damion in Jersey Beat says "it's go-time the moment the bass line meets up with the opening guitar riff meet on the album's opening track "Can't Stop Now;" one can't help but rejoice in its statement of purpose and declaration of being," adding that "there's a sense of warmth that seems to wrap itself around every Brixton Riot song."[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Can't Stop Now"4:04
2."Slow Evolution"2:58
3."Easier Said Than Done"2:51
4."Hector Quasar"3:07
5."The Ballad of Pete Best"3:23
6."Caroline"3:47
7."Maybe Tomorrow"2:16
8."Little Spark"4:17
9."Move On"2:39
10."Talk About Nothing"3:20
11."Surrender to the Void"3:33
Total length:36:15

Personnel

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  • Steve Hass – bass and vocals
  • Matt Horutz – drums
  • Jerry Lardieri – vocals and guitar
  • Mark Wright – guitar

Additional musicians

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  • J. Robbins – backing vocals on "Can't Stop Now" and tambourine on "Hector Quasar"
  • Alejandra Rodriguez – backing vocals on "Maybe Tomorrow"

References

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Citations
Bibliography
  • The Aquarian Weekly Staff (27 December 2017), "The Top Albums of 2017", The Aquarian Weekly, retrieved 1 March 2019
  • Bodkin, Bill (17 November 2017), "The Brixton Riot on Close Counts, Balancing Music & Life, & Holiday Jams", The Pop Break, retrieved 1 March 2019
  • Damion, James (2018), "The Brixton Riot - Close Counts", Jersey Beat, retrieved 1 March 2019
  • Hinely, Tim (29 November 2017), "The Brixton Riot - Close Counts (Mint 400 Records)", Dagger, retrieved 1 March 2019
  • Makin, Bob (5 October 2017), "Makin Waves' Record of the Week: The Brixton Riot's 'Close Counts'", Institute for Nonprofit News, retrieved 1 March 2019
  • Pirate! Staff (2017), "The Brixton Riot - Close Counts", Pirate!, retrieved 1 March 2019
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