Taken By Name

There are a lot of things wrong with the world right now. Brandon Green knows that.

Until recently, the 22-year-old Boston-based songwriter-composer-producer-bassist wasn’t sure how to do anything about it. Brought up in the affluent suburbs of southern Connecticut, wrong was everywhere, but usually covered with a shiny facade.

Taken By Name, as a result, is a musical exploration the reality of his surroundings, with the shiny facade of electronics. With inspiration coming from daily happenings on the subway, cultural cynicism, past relationships and future desires, Brandon aims to explore the sometimes wrongful realities of these things through lyrics, composition and production. (Brandon maintains complete artistic control of the project and records all music himself in his Boston apartment.) The droning, suspenseful “Switch On/Switch Off” analyzes the temptation of a monotonous, destructive lifestyle; the mellow, bass heavy “Soft” finds solace in the ones who help you rise above that lifestyle.

All of the music culminates into the overriding concept of Taken By Name’s upcoming debut album, Kid Lightbulb, in which Brandon hopes to depict one’s struggle to find love & meaning in a culturally crippled nation. The album is finished and awaiting a release in weeks. The album’s precursor, The Unspeakable EP, is available in all major online marketplaces.

Brandon’s foray into music has been a lengthy one, demonstrating skill at the piano at the young age of four. Winning several awards in piano performance throughout his childhood years, he discovered rock and funk and sought more, and thus picked up the bass guitar, essentially teaching himself the instrument. Brandon then helped form the instrumental-prog-rock quartet Bushwhack in his hometown, providing bass, programming and a hefty amount of composition. While he left the band in late 2008 to pursue his solo efforts, this lengthy musical collaboration set Brandon on a musical path, allowing him to hone both his songwriting ability and live performance skill and antics.

But there’s the rub: Taken By Name is currently a studio-only act, existing solely within Brandon’s and the Internet’s jurisdiction. Brandon itches to bring Taken By Name to the stage soon, but wants to do so with the right group of musicians, which, as with most things, take time.

Taken By Name’s debut, The Unspeakable EP, is now available in most online markets. Details regarding a live entity for Taken By Name are coming soon, followed by gig dates and more information regarding the upcoming debut album.