Bracket – Requiem LP (Bearded Punk Records)

For those who lived under the rock for decades, Bracket is a Californian pop-punk institution formed in Forestville in 1992. No matter which album you pick up, from those published on Caroline Records over Fat Wreck Chords, Takeover Records, High Output Records, and Head2Wall Records, you’ll solely enjoy their specific version of pop-punk music. Full-lengths such as their debut 924 Forestville St, 4-Wheel Vibe, Like You Know, Novelty Forever, When All Else Fails, and Requiem are probably their best works, but the remaining portion of the discography worth your attention as well. Besides their full-lengths, the group also released an impressive amount of extended plays, so you should check them out as well.

Requiem is their sixth album, released after their departure with the Fat Wreck Chords at the time. The group decided to try out with Takeover Records, known for their previous work with Yellowcard, Craig’s Brother, Paperface, Versus The Ocean, Near Miss, End Of Pipe, to name a few. This particular album also marks the longest break between their studio records, marking over five years separating Requiem and its predecessor, When All Else Fails. Requiem is also the first recording where the band members took charge of recording, producing, engineering the entire material. The recording process lasted for two years at Trailer Park Studios, entirely built at an abandoned trailer by drummer Ray Castro with help from the remaining portion of the group. It’s also good to mention that the vocalist/guitarist Marty Gregori and guitarist Angelo Celli took charge of producing, engineering, and mixing the material.

Requiem represents a collection of Warren Songs, named by a friend of a band whose childhood artwork appeared at their debut album 924 Forestville St. The band started including Warren Song since they credited Waren Rake on their debut. The band follows this tradition at nearly all albums and extended plays, but Requiem is the first album entirely consisting of these songs. Nevertheless, this was not another retrospective material recorded for the greatest hits collection, but the material written exclusively for Requiem. Therefore, you may find a set of compositions with identical names but assorted numbers at the end of the title. Many music critics thought this was the most diverse Bracket album because of various instrumentations, acoustic songs, and other orchestrations included by the band throughout the entire material.

Perhaps this material is their most diverse recording ever, but it’s unquestionable entertaining, unique, and ear-appealing pop-punk amalgam that will be cherished by those who somehow missed it before. Besides the standard sonic maneuvers, Bracket introduced loads of acoustic segments, power pop articulations, choir singalongs, perfectly merged into a harmonious collection of songs. Other than that, Bracket stayed true to its polyphonic pop-punk style, cherished by the broader auditorium for decades. Luckily for those who missed the initial Takeover Records pressing, Bearded Punk Records brought another eye-peeling vinyl available in brown/orange with white splatter, orange, and white variants. This re-issue includes the original cover artwork, so it will unquestionably evoke some nostalgia in older fans. It would be such a waste to miss this one out, so head over to Bearded Punk Records for more detailed information about ordering this masterpiece.