Call it an older sibling being protective of their kid brother, but I wholeheartedly disagree with Sam Pfeifle's review of Brenda's Silver Tower. (See "Sound of Silver," June 25). Though I would definitely disagree with the assertion that Brenda's debut is lo-fi, I won't here. Rather, I want to say that I was completely taken aback by his seeming desire for a polished, crystal-clear album sung by a woman when he was given a three-piece indie-rock record with a male vocalist. The sound of a band is the sound of a band, and the basic tenet of reviews should be to figure out what a band is trying to do, and judge them on it accordingly. To harp on the recording quality is like hating on Guided By Voices because their production doesn't sound like Nirvana, or more explicitly, hating apples 'cause they're not chicken wings. If Sam needs every record he reviews to sound like Bonnie Raitt's Luck Of The Draw, he is going to hate every single one of our upcoming releases, and has already missed out on one of the best local records this year.
Graeme Kennedy
Mckeenstreet Music
Portland
Related:
Wow, are we jealous, Sound of Silver, Singer/songwriter Graeme Kennedy is back in town, More 
- Wow, are we jealous
From the minute Wilco announced their Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA, we’ve wanted to go in the worst way.
- Sound of Silver
From Extendo-Ride to Cult Maze to their latest incarnation, Brenda, there has never been any doubt about the songwriting capabilities of Peet Chamberlain and Josh Loring.
- Singer/songwriter Graeme Kennedy is back in town
... and he’s got ambitious plans for his McKeenstreet Music.
- From solid to standout
Maybe the most surprising thing about Portland indie band Brenda’s set at the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival on the Mass MoCA campus in North Adams, Massachusetts, on Saturday was that people were actually there to see it. Lots of them.
- Fall Music Preview: The road ahead
As the local music scene continues to grow, it shouldn’t be surprising that this past summer was the most active we’ve ever seen in terms of album releases.
- Review: Sonny Rollins at Symphony Hall
The lines were around the block for will-call and walk-up ticket purchases at Symphony Hall Sunday night — causing the show to start a half hour after its advertised curtain time. The place was nearly full, the mood celebratory. All good to see in a down economy. But this was the first disappointing Sonny Rollins concert I’ve attended in years.
- Review: GFAC returns with double the horsepower
How spoiled are we in this town? A record like the new Greetings from Area Code 207 Vol. 8 can come out and it's like: Big Fuckin' Deal.
- Solid Sound Festival, Aug 13-15, Mass MoCA
Even if you don't love Wilco (anymore), it's hard to imagine a festival being much more pleasant and casually engaging than their inaugural event in North Adams.
- Skipp Whitman | Skipp City
I was hardly expecting one of the freshest rap discs this year to come out of Brookline.
- Theodore Treehouse are Closest to the Sun
Bryan Bruchman and Dylan Martin and Ian Paige and everyone else who's been raving about Theodore Treehouse's live set over the past year were completely and totally right.
- Gully + Foam Castles + Sunset Hearts at Empire Dine and Dance, January 8
Gully, Foam Castles, and Sunset Hearts at Empire was a veritable who's-who of the Portland indie rock scene.
- Less
Topics:
Letters
, Music, Bonnie Raitt, Guided By Voices, More
, Music, Bonnie Raitt, Guided By Voices, review, BRENDA, BRENDA, letters, Graeme Kennedy, opinions, Less
