Meredith Bragg & The Terminals "The Departures EP" (Kora)
Do you love Death Cab For Cutie? Would you like to maintain your indie cred now that the band has jumped to the major leagues? I suggest you check out Meredith Bragg & The Terminals. I first heard Meredith Bragg on Deep Elm's This Is Indie Rock compilation series. His song "New York" appeared on Volume 1 and was a delightfully forlorn look into someone who keeps losing their friends to the bright lights of the Big Apple. Now that is the kind of pop song that I can identify with.
There is something so earnest and endearing about Meredith Bragg. His voice and lyrical deftness certainly bring to mind Ben Gibbard Of Death Cab For Cutie. Bragg deals with the same subject matter as well. Fractured relationships abound throughout the landscape of The Departures EP. The final track is an impressive cover version of Songs:Ohia's "Two Blue Lights" which proves Bragg's taste in music is quite superb as well. Really the only complaint I can muster for The Departures EP is its brevity.
I in no way want this review to come off like I am painting the picture of Meredith Bragg & The Terminals as being some second rate version of another popular band. The first works of the band are supremely promising. Here's hoping that Bragg and his Terminals can spread their wings a bit more in the future. That would do wonders for the band reaching their true potential.
RIYL: Death Cab For Cutie, Elliott Smith, Matt Pond PA
