Old Abram Brown

Letter Never Sent” is less a departure from OAB’s signature sound, and more a growth and refinement of their vocally-driven brand of rock. A thin layer of organ lays the fabric for Carson Lund’s vocal heft reminiscent of Cold War Kids’ Nathan Willett. Horns and hollowed guitar lines reflect the band’s tight operation, which is heightened around the 3 minute mark with an almost funky stoccato groove. From the sounds of it, Old Abram Brown are on top of their game for this new batch of tunes, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. - Allston Pudding

...an islandy sound, relaxed and full, that grew into a rolling cacophony, met with Vampire Weekend-esque riffing on the guitar. - Allston Pudding

There’s a density to Old Abram Brown’s music that makes every song sound as if it’s bursting at the seams. Tracks from the Boston rockers are richly layered, with frontman Carson Lund’s impassioned vibrato constantly struggling to stay adrift in waves of jangling guitars, pounding pianos, momentum building horns, and the occasional accentuating shake of the tambourine. Songs swell to momentous, tense climaxes on the backs of interlacing melodies that combine shades of blues, folk, indie, and alternative with a sandpaper edge. On the band’s tightly produced 2010 sophomore release, Restless Ghosts, comparisons to Cold War Kids are obvious but not encompassing, as the band provides its own somber, earnest take on piano-driven rock that ranges from the spaciously epic (“Your House on the Hill”) to the disquietingly subdued (“Little Feet”). - The AV Club

I decided to pull this Old Abram Brown album out of the BandSoup vaults because for some reason I never got around to publishing the draft I had saved in the old blog system. It’s a 2010 album, but a good one nevertheless. Enjoy.
“There’s a density to Old Abram Brown’s music that makes every song sound as if it’s bursting at the seams… Songs swell to momentous, tense climaxes on the backs of interlacing melodies that combine shades of blues, folk, indie, and alternative with a sandpaper edge.” - AV Club Philadelphia

Old Abram Brown’s sophomore album Restless Ghosts, the follow-up to their 2009 debut Alive in Winter, is a tight collection of nine songs ranging from the somber and introspective to the buoyant and celebratory.

With this release, the band has amplified the fullness already present in their previous work; Eric Bolton’s jangling, atmospheric guitars guide the songs, facilitating the often epic, spacious trajectories of songs like Your House on the Hill, the single Tides, and the adamant Novelty Prize. But rather than drowning under the weight and scope, the songs retain a poppy immediacy indebted to frontman Carson Lund’s towering melodies and poetic lyrics, bassist/pianist Dylan Vukelich’s eerie harmonies, and Erik Lund’s alternately understated and grandiose drum work. As dynamic as it is nuanced, Restless Ghosts provides something for both adventurous listeners and those with a more pop sensibility. - BandSoup

"...Old Abram Brown's lead singer, Carson Lund, creates the landscape of a soggy soul that's prone to get prolonged droughts that last for indeterminate lengths of time, as droughts are wont to do. There seem to be plenty of instances of questioning why the shit is happening to him and then there's a song like, "I'm Not Happy," from the band's latest, "Restless Ghosts," where much of the misery is self-inflicted. There's cheating coming from both sides, in a story about infidelity, with very little wondering about whose skin is lying next to whose skin at night...." - Daytrotter.com

"...Old Abram Brown's lead singer, Carson Lund, creates the landscape of a soggy soul that's prone to get prolonged droughts that last for indeterminate lengths of time, as droughts are wont to do. There seem to be plenty of instances of questioning why the shit is happening to him and then there's a song like, "I'm Not Happy," from the band's latest, "Restless Ghosts," where much of the misery is self-inflicted. There's cheating coming from both sides, in a story about infidelity, with very little wondering about whose skin is lying next to whose skin at night...." - Daytrotter.com

as a part of the
“Blog Tour,” filmed live at the Hunt Memorial Library, We get to premiere “Mountain Lions,” the song I prominently featured in the artist profile. I particularly love the horns on this one; they give the song its bite. - Knox Road

...As such, it provides a fitting backdrop for the music of Old Abram Brown, a band whose first two albums (Alive in Winter and Restless Ghosts, respectively) delve deeply into themes of nostalgia and historical identity. - Performer Magazine

I have the pleasure of introducing "I'm Not Happy" - one of my favorite tracks from Restless Ghosts. Brooding, ruminitive lyrics reverberate through the cavernous space, grounded by pounding piano chords and a steady beat. As the song builds to its final climax, blaring horns and chiming electric guitars dance around one another and then it's over, the empty library returned to silence. - Visible Voice

From the very begnning, Silhouette swells with energy. The rattling guitars and powerful vocals make this a song you want to turn up full blast and dance around the room to. This band has so much heart and intensity, both of which are apparent on this track. - The Deli Magazine

Boston-based Old Abram Brown performed their latest album, Restless Ghosts, in the Hunt Memorial Library in Nashua, New Hampshire. The performance was filmed in its entirety, and edited down to an amazing video series. ATG is honored to premiere the video for “Little Feet”, a track that truly captures the band’s raw talent and tight instrumentation. Be sure to catch OAB on tour with We Are Trees this summer. - All Things Go

... The surprise of the evening, however, was Boston-based indie pop band Old Abram Brown. Their style is super accessible; think Young The Giant meets Jukebox The Ghost. - The Wild Honey Pie

... The surprise of the evening, however, was Boston-based indie pop band Old Abram Brown. Their style is super accessible; think Young The Giant meets Jukebox The Ghost. - The Wild Honey Pie

Peep this beautiful footage of them playing in their local Hunt Memorial Library in Nashua, New Hampshire - certainly a fitting backdrop for a band of history geeks who write American songs with an indie folk bent. - YVYNYL

Based out of Boston, MA, the band performed the entirety of their latest album, Restless Ghosts, live in the library, which now serves as a sort of historical relic for the city of Nashua. But the band’s sweeping, nostalgia-heavy sound brought the brick and mortar back to life. Their sound echoes through the old halls and massive ceilings, building to a fever pitch only to fade away slowly into the background. If that ain’t some kind of wonderful metaphor for books and life and the pursuit of knowledge, we don’t know what is. - Consequence of Sound & Cluster 1

“Novelty Prize” is an upbeat piano ballad in the same vein as White Rabbits. The track is a slow build at the beginning that with every passing minute grabs tighter onto the listener with its infectious melody and perfectly timed swells and horn blasts. Without a single flat spot in the 4 minute track, “Novelty Prize” is both inviting to the underground indie music lover as well as the everyday radio dial turner. This is a track that everyone can find common ground upon. - The Muse in the Music

Live, the surprisingly young quintet is expertly controlled, weaving their way through songs both operatic and bombastic. Recorded, Old Abram’s sound is impossibly lush and layered, with subtle vocal harmonies, brass accents, pounding piano and plodding drums supporting Lund’s capable warble. - Time Out Boston

...Restless Ghosts is a considerable divergence towards a richer, fuller composition, with greater focus on harmonic layering. Restless Ghosts utilizes most of the band members’ multi-instrumentality, creating a more energetic and vibrant sound. - Tastemakers Magazine

...Restless Ghosts is a considerable divergence towards a richer, fuller composition, with greater focus on harmonic layering. Restless Ghosts utilizes most of the band members’ multi-instrumentality, creating a more energetic and vibrant sound. - Tastemakers Magazine

Old Abram Brown is one of the more versatile of the many up-and-coming Boston bands- a trait particularly evident live. Throughout their set at the Middle East, each member constantly switched instruments, making transition with ease. The vocals of lead singer Carson Lund gave the band a similar sound to a band like the Cold War Kids, but the band that backed him achieved a more vintage reverby style reminiscent of The Cure. The band played selections from their full-length release Alive in Winter, as well as some tunes that will be heard on their new EP expected for October. - TeaParty Boston (Supertonic)

http://zak425.blogspot.com/2009/02/old-abram-brown-alive-in-winter.html - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

http://laughingevergreens.blogspot.com/2009/03/old-abram-brown-is-far-from-dead-and.html - Laughing Evergreens

http://ifyouwanttosingout.blogspot.com/2009/05/old-abram-brown-alive-in-winter.html - Lycanthropy

http://www.hippopress.com/music/nite090305b.html - Hippo Press

http://www.knoxroad.com/2010/01/06/old-abram-brown/ - Knox Road

Thick with Orwellian images from 1984, Old Abram Brown trudges through a darkness of bureaucratic rot. And yet, with a sound both syrupy and sharp, the band fights back, clanging with the strain of an underground rebellion.
“Cadence on the Heavy Hand” serves as the hub of the struggle’s intellectual resistance. “There’ll be a day when the sun eclipses the moon and we’ll all be free to dance.” Printing these words for the masses, the mechanical clapping and drumming of the press provides the song with its heart. For these determined rebels there will be no respite; the enemy is always at hand as a sustained organ, authoritarian and oppressive, creates the regime against which Carson Lund must sing his echo-y manifesto.
In “Will Our Garden Grow” time has passed and with it the urgency of the resistance grows. A constant pounding riff plagues the piano, and over this marching Lund’s voice widens with a mindful vibrato to obscure his cause and divert the authorities. After the second verse, he sings the words “Hello, Hello” in what at first appears to be an attempt at appeasement and surrender. But, then a trumpet calls out from beneath a wasteland of strife, and it’s hard not to believe that Orwell’s vision, as viewed from those who fight against it, is finally upon us. - Foundwaves

http://bathtuboceania.blogspot.com/2009/02/old-abram-brown-interview-review.html - Candysphere

http:// - Nashua Telegraph (NH)

http://foundwaves.com/2010/04/08/old-abram-brown-mp3-download-and-concert-photos/ - Foundwaves

http://foundwaves.com/2010/04/08/old-abram-brown-mp3-download-and-concert-photos/ - Foundwaves