By: Emily J Ramey

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

The Belle Brigade, a brother/sister duo from LA, sounds like a combination of two of my two favorite side projects – Bad Books and Fiction Family. And no offense to Andy Hull or Jon Foreman, but it’s about time somebody devoted their entire energy to such a wonderfully folksy sound, brimming with acoustic guitars and sweet, sweet harmonies.

Their self-titled new release is bold and energetic, stunningly composed and delightfully engaging, but the most remarkable thing about The Belle Brigade is that it’s a debut album without a low point – there’s no filler, no skippable tracks, no weak link. The album as a whole is lush and buzzing, gilded and easy.

However, if I had to choose highlights, they would include the jaunty, galloping opener “Sweet Louise;” a mild-melodied favorite that quickly turns into a punchy rock song on the chorus “Where Not to Look for Freedom;” the layered, swelling single “Losers,” which showcases the duo’s honest lyricism and subtle simplicity with lines like “We've all tried to be on top of the world somehow ‘cause we have all been losers;” the soaring, punkish “Lonely Lonely,” with its tight piano accompaniment and guitar instrumentation; and “Punchline,” a gentle, sweeping strings-based melody, melancholy and emotive.

The Belle Brigade is an artful union of folk and rock, with punk tendencies, and the occasional country lick… perhaps a bit odd on paper, but I’m telling you – it works, and it works brilliantly. This summery young duo is quite new to me, but I can assure you that they are on my horizon to stay.

Emily J Ramey is a burgeoning young music writer, living and working in Nashville, TN. Her background includes journalism classes at New York University and a Music Business degree from Belmont University. Check out her blog at listenerextraordinaire.wordpress.com.