I love a song that has a little progression to it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly valid to tear out of the gate full blast with the fever and speed you intend to hold for the length of the tune, but I like something that takes you for a bit of a walk. Something that expands upon itself, something that gives you plenty to chew on, something like “Brown Shades” by Jared Martin and Jon Jon.
If you’re dying to put a label on it, “Brown Shades” is best described as alternative. It starts off slow, just a picking guitar riff and echoey vocals, but it begins building before you can get too comfortable. Soon, the precise picking turns into a growl. A splash from the cymbals and the drums kick in. All of a sudden, the somber ballad turns into something more akin to the post-punk-inspired indie scene that kicked off in New York in the 2000s. It drives you to a towering peak where the wailing guitars crescendo, then a sparkling synthesizer comes in only to give way to a mellow outro that mirrors the opening, with the exception of the vocals being replaced with whistling. A gentle way to see you out the door, much better than slowly fading the music out; a trend I’m starting to notice rearing its ugly head once again.
“Brown Shades” is one of those alt tunes that’s kind of hard to pin down. It has punk-inspired guitars, goth-flavored vocals, and a rocking beat. It’s the kind of song that can cross genre boundaries purely by virtue of not pigeonholing itself. If you’re feeling down on yourself, “Brown Shades” is great listening to get you through it. If you’re rolling around the streets with your homies, this is a great one to put on to scream-sing to. It’s even the perfect accompaniment for hanging out in a doorway chuffing a bone by yourself on a frosty December night. It’s a versatile ride that can appease even the most persnickety of critics.
You can find “Brown Shades” streaming wherever you get your music now. No matter which subset of rock you align yourself with, you’ll find something to love about this tune. It’s a boundary-busting piece meticulously crafted with the care of someone who knows how to let a song tell its own story. If you don’t have the time to give that a listen, make it. It will be worth your while.
Jared Martin
Jon Jon
Written by Dusty Hayes
