CMJ New Music Monthly, August 2003 Weed Patch is L.A.-based songwriter Neal Weiss, and for the first verse or so of opener "Let Go Of The Wheel" it shows—the clacking drum machine and disjointed feedback promise yet another glorified-demo "project" of modestly noisy ambitions. But three minutes later, after sharply executed vocal harmonies and a surprising but fitting trumpet hook, it's clear that Weiss has achieved something morel Maybe The Brakes Will Fail is a full-blooded alt-country opus that easily overcomes its studio-bound origins. Much of the credit goes to Seth Rothschild's transparent, detail-oriented co-production, and to a strong bench of sidemen, including dobro/banjo ace Ben Peeler and drummers Adam Maples and Malcolm Cross. But it's Weiss' disciplined songcraft that makes the disc more than a skillful exercise. Clever touches ("I'm feeling lucky/Like a horse in Kentucky") flash by with offhand ease, while the emotional free-fall depicted of "Nothings" and "Dreaming My Days Away" is checked by an unfussy, formal and melodic directness. On a more self-indulgent record, the sudden optimism of the closing "Crash Landing" might seem silly, or at least unearned; but by the time Weiss sings "I will be standing/When the sun comes up again," most listeners will hope he's right. Franklin Bruno |