Dedere: Little Ease in the Bell Jar [Album]

Several years ago, during the second or third phase of social media hierarchies taking control, and in the early days of my “career” writing about music, I wrote about a little known and now disbanded group known as The Golden Year.  They didn’t last long, only releasing one EP on a small little Olympia WA based record label that doesn’t seem to exist anymore either.  But I can clearly remember stating that frontman Jared Brannan was like the Dostoevsky of folk music due to his incredulous and thought provoking song writing.  That was over six years ago, and a few more bands in the books, but the same truths hold themselves to be self evident when I hear Jared, now much holder and more mature (one would imagine), spill his emotional guts with his much anticipated return to music with his new project Dedere and new album Little Ease in the Bell Jar.

Though calling Dedere a folk act would probably be a bit misguided, it is certainly obvious that the aura of storytelling is as important of a factor to Jared as it was oh so many years ago (what I’ve deemed “the Myspace dynasty”).  For Little Ease in the Bell Jar, Brannan also has recruited some new friends as well as some old.  TWS family member Adam Smith (Grandhorse) even returns to work with Jared in support of a few tracks, as well as a plethora of other fine Portland based musicians.  But, what is most awe inspiring about this collection of tracks is the obvious and immense amount of personal triumph that is on display for the world to hear.  This album may literally be a few years in the making, but the end result almost sounds as though it is actually closer to 30 years in the making for Jared Brannan.

With elements of electronic driven rave sequences with a mixed bag of soft core folk rock melodies, there really is so much to love about Little Ease in the Bell Jar.  From start to finish, this is a wonderful album to blare in your studio apartment between episodes of Twin Peaks and your second pot of coffee on a cold winter’s day when all you want to do is say “fuck the world”, I’m living in the bell jar today.  So relax your mind, and find the time to lose yourself in the pretty little screwed up work that Jared Brannan has been waiting his whole life to share with you, the worthy recipients of crime, punishment, and a trip through the haunted house of his soul.  Or, you know, just enjoy some damn good storytelling and magnificent musicianship.  The choice is yours.

Check out Little Ease in the Bell Jar for yourself right HERE.