The Holladay brothers, Hays & Ryan (QRO interview), have been putting out interesting electronic
music for years now, under a variety of pseudonyms, but grounded in more
‘traditional’ rock tellings, neither getting lost in the electronica mist, nor
succumbing to lame electro-rock.They found their greatest success as the core of the four-piece Epochs (QRO
spotlight on), but now they've shorn their
non-siblings to become Bluebrain, and jump further into electronic sounds on
debut EP Cult Following.
For fans of The Epochs, there will be some dismay at this
latest Holladay.Especially missed
is Epoch drummer Kotchy, who provided an essential base for The Epochs on their
self-titled debut (QRO review).Cult Following is much
more straight-up electronica, but at least varies it up in there.While it opens with the dark
electro-goth haunt of "The Herdsman", and closes with the echo-removed "Ides",
in between lays the tech-rhythm parties "Cult Following" & "Burgers and
Fries", not to mention the smoother, cooler "Bring Out Your Dead".
If you never heard The Epochs, but like electronica, then
Bluebrain is definitely for you.And it's been a while since we've heard anything from the brothers
Holladay, so it's really nice to have them back, under whatever alias.