Music
Press
“A hefty helping of lonesome and hard luck” - Pittsburgh City Paper
“Sodajerk frontman Alex Brenner strikes out on his own with How to make a living selling yourself short, his first release under the name Swing Set. The 13-song set is an impressive collection of forlorn hangover twangers, hitting the ears like a close relative of Jay Farrar and Rhett Miller” - Stomp and Stammer
“Alex has a golden, unmistakable delivery and a gift of scribbling lines that oughta be etched in stone” - thrust_2.tripod.com
“Alex knows how to write great American rock and roll and, truly has a killer voice” - Beta Monkey Music
Under Swing Set’s influences section on their webpage, Teenage Fanclub and George Jones are listed side by side. Just the kind of spirit that has driven the southern rock and roll movement of the last decade or so, a spirit that owes just as much to R.E.M. as Lynrd Skynrd.
Swing Set is the solo moniker for former Sodajerk front man Alex Brenner. Sodajerk toured the east coast for nearly decade, spreading their own brand of alt. country before packing it in after 2007’s swan song Sodajerk 2. Described as Johnny Cash meets the Replacements, Sodajerk’s sound owed a lot to the early periods of bands like the Old 97’s or Wilco. However, Brenner’s solo work is characterized by a renewed focus on his vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Where Sodajerk would stack on the electric guitars and turn their amps up to 10, Swing Set sets the mood with acoustic guitars, light drums, and some pedal steel embellishments.
Owing as much to Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters) as the Old 97’s, How To Make A Living Selling Yourself Short, Swing Set’s debut, is an Americana record with indie-rock influences. Recorded in Brenner’s Decatur, GA apartment, the album fits late nights or hung over mornings like a worn glove. Brenner’s voice has a little bit of twang and a lot of heartache in it, which makes for a record that seeps emotion at every turn. Also adding to the mix is background vocals by Emily Kate Boyd and Vanessa Olivarez, highlighted on “Nothing to Hold On To” (sounding eerily like Jenny Lewis). - Twangville.com
Best Alternative August and December 2008 - Garageband
#18 album of 2008 for "How to make a living selling yourself short".
The first solo record from Alex Brenner, frontman of wonderful Pittsburgh-native country-rockers Sodajerk, currently on hiatus in Georgia after moving South a year or so ago. The material here is still pretty country, with stronger hints of indie singer-songwriter ("emo," if you must) influences. In whichever direction Brenner turns, you get remarkably well-constructed and affecting tunes and heartbreak all around. - Purgegeekblog
Under Swing Set’s influences section on their webpage, Teenage Fanclub and George Jones are listed side by side. Just the kind of spirit that has driven the southern rock and roll movement of the last decade or so, a spirit that owes just as much to R.E.M. as Lynrd Skynrd.
Swing Set is the solo moniker for former Sodajerk front man Alex Brenner. Sodajerk toured the east coast for nearly decade, spreading their own brand of alt. country before packing it in after 2007’s swan song Sodajerk 2. Described as Johnny Cash meets the Replacements, Sodajerk’s sound owed a lot to the early periods of bands like the Old 97’s or Wilco. However, Brenner’s solo work is characterized by a renewed focus on his vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Where Sodajerk would stack on the electric guitars and turn their amps up to 10, Swing Set sets the mood with acoustic guitars, light drums, and some pedal steel embellishments.
Owing as much to Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters) as the Old 97’s, How To Make A Living Selling Yourself Short, Swing Set’s debut, is an Americana record with indie-rock influences. Recorded in Brenner’s Decatur, GA apartment, the album fits late nights or hung over mornings like a worn glove. Brenner’s voice has a little bit of twang and a lot of heartache in it, which makes for a record that seeps emotion at every turn. Also adding to the mix is background vocals by Emily Kate Boyd and Vanessa Olivarez, highlighted on “Nothing to Hold On To” (sounding eerily like Jenny Lewis). - Twangville
Discography
How to make a living selling yourself short
Photos
Bio
The Great Shakes E.P. is the follow up to last years How to make a living selling yourself short from Sodajerk front man Alex Brenner under the moniker Swing Set.
Swing Set isn't so much a band as a concept. A concept based on making great pop records. Like Neutral Milk Hotel, Will Oldham and Guided by Voices; Swing Set makes intimate records that speak to everyone who listens. Alexs voice is honest yet desperate; the music is melodic yet dark. The Great Shakes is fueled by do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty.
Abandoning quite acoustic guitars and whispered vocals, the Great Shakes E.P. is full of massive hooks, sing along choruses, hand claps and pulsating drum beats. This new model is not only an improvement on the original, but a foreshadowing of things to come. Songs like Stitches and Cant stop remembering you recall everything that was good about alternative rock in the 90s without sounding dated. The Swirlies, Buffalo Tom, Teenage Fan Club, Swervedriver; a far cry from country rock Alex has been associated with during the last eight years as a member of Sodajerk. From the opening line Do you remember when I was the lead singer, you were my mic stand and we stood real close, The Great Shakes E.P is pure pop perfection.
Links
