The Brother Brothers present "The January Album" in August and September

"The January Album", the fourth record from Adam and David Moss, those twin sons of Peoria, Illinois, known musically as The Brother Brothers, is a COVID-era record in the strictest sense: The Mosses wrote most of its 12 tracks during the first few months of lockdown in the US. But The January Album, rather than lacing each song with obvious references to the crisis, embraces that moment under the surface. The work reflects themes common to the brothers’ discography to date; it’s tied to 2020 as a consequence of its conception.

The choice to sidestep didactic nonsense is refreshing, if unsurprising. Like all other Brother Brothers records, The January Album is characterized by humble honesty. The Mosses aren’t showy or flashy. They speak and play simply, so their messages can be clearly heard, though this belies their craftsmanship’s subtle complexities, the product of a shared soul that’s equal parts playful and doleful. These two qualities often entwine, but occasionally the brothers separate them, as on The January Album’s opening tracks, “Lonesome” and “Brown Dog”: The former captures pure existential melancholy, while the latter cheerfully counts the praises of man’s best friend and takes the mickey out of man.

On “Lonesome,” a gentle number spotlighting the human race’s cosmic insignificance, the resonating twang of David’s guitar invokes the vastness of the night sky and all the stars that lie beyond. The experiential effect of that sound is given grounding, however, by David and Adam’s soft vocalizations, and then further brought down to Earth by “Brown Dog”’s giddy tone. Here, the brothers make a farce of our over-reliance on and fondness for our electronic devices, humbling the listener via a happy, bouncy tune.

The January Album is all about the pandemic; it’s not about the pandemic at all. It’s about where we listen to it, and how. Go listen to them live this summer:

29/08: Ermelo, NL - In De Rimboe
30/08: Vlieland, NL - Into The Great Wide Open
31/08: Maastricht, NL - Bruis
02/09: Bliston, UK - The Robin
03/09: Hove, UK - The Brunswick
04/09: Huddersfield, UK - Parish
06/09: Liverpool, UK - Outpost
07/09: Filey, UK - Filey Americana
08/09: Glasgow, UK - The Hug & Pint
09/09: London, UK - The Slaughtered Lamb
12/09: Hamburg, DE - Nochtwache
13/09: Odense, DK - Nashville Nights
14/09: Göteborg, SWE - Heartland Country Club
15/09: Stockholm, SWE - Bar Brooklyn
16/09: Kristianstad, SWE - Kulturkvarteret