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From The Desk Of Bird Streets’ John Brodeur: The Grays’ “Ro Sham Bo”

Omnivore just released the self-titled debut album from Brooklyn’s Bird Streets (a.k.a. John Brodeur). In addition to self-releasing records over the past two decades, Brodeur also worked as a music journalist (poor guy). For Bird Streets’ debut, Brodeur enlisted Jason Falkner (Beck, Air, Paul McCartney, Jellyfish, etc.) as co-writer, co-player and producer, while Miranda Lee Richards and Luther Russell contribute to a few tracks as well. Brodeur will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Check out the Bird Streets track we premiered in June.

Brodeur: I made an album with Jason Falkner?! No way! (It’s in stores now.)

This is a Big Freakin’ Deal for me—I was a fan of the dude’s work for almost 20 years before we became friends. Jellyfish was one of my favorite bands in high school, and Jason’s solo debut Author Unknown was one of the guideposts that led me to one-man-band my first solo record. Despite the novelty having died down a bit, I still get that OMG feeling sometimes when listening to the music that so inspired me in those formative years, particularly this brilliant 1994 album by the Grays, Falkner’s band along with Jon Brion, secret weapon Buddy Judge and drummer Dan McCarroll, a fellow Albany expat who went on to become president of Capitol and Warner Bros. Just an absurd collection of talent. Along with my beloved Sloan, this band and record was one of the reasons I attempted being part of a multi-songwriter band in the late ’90s. (That didn’t last long.)

Beavis & Butt-head may have panned it, but “Very Best Years” is some incredibly easy listening.