Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men - Love and Bombs

Genre rock Publisher Yep Roc Records External Links Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men Yep Roc Records

In the grand tradition of rock 'n roll, Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men invited all of their friends and local Boston musicians to come to the studio with them for a seventy-two hour recording session that doubled as a party. At the end of the three days they were left with hangovers and an impressive forty songs recorded; unfortunately only twelve songs made the cut for Love and Bombs. However, the songs selected for this album are great, straight-forward rock.

Brennan blends poetic lyrics with punctuated and precise pentatonic guitar melodies creating a refreshing sound you can easily dance to; making you wish they were around when you went to prom. The album draws from a vast amount of influences; country, swing, Dixie, and blues; for further proof of Brennan's eclectic musicianship just check out his older hardcore band, Cast Iron Hike, which were on Chicago indie-label Victory Records.

"Believe Me" and "Sarah's Got a New Favorite Son" are two incredibly catchy pop songs that’ll end up taking up lodging in your head for days. They feature guest vocalist Sarah Borge who seamlessly harmonizes her vocals with Brennan's. As with any good rock album, it’s always necessary to include a few slow, emotional ballads and that's exactly how the album ends, with "Goodnight," ("I've been drinking all night, baby, it shows/I'm alright to drive...Its just so hard to say goodnight.") Brennan could just as well be describing how he felt during those last few of the seventy-two hours he spent recording this album.

Love and Bombs includes with it a DVD documentary of the recording studio party; inviting the listener to look deeper into the recording and more into the lives of the musicians that put their hearts into this project. The only thing missing from this impressive album is a lyrics sheet. However, after a few listens you'll probably know all the words by heart.