Corduroy Brown: Let Me Know
Albums come along that pose questions. Some of them are interesting. Some of them are less interesting, and yet more are mundane. Corduroy Brown’s Let Me Know asks how do you take a life threatening, life altering event and find something positive in it? How do you express fear, relief, and joy, while exercising reverence for obstacles most of us are fortunate enough to not have a baseline for? How do you accomplish all of that without being preachy, or worse, cheesy?
Let Me Know answers all of these brilliantly, in a way that’s a joy to listen to. In a room of special albums, this album is still special. It comes with a sense of true humility, wonder and a kindness that’s becoming ever more rare. It’s a truly inspired, and inspiring, album.
Alan “Corduroy” Brown died. That isn’t a metaphor, and it isn’t a joke. During the Pandemic, due to Covid complications, Alan Brown was temporarily dead. Resuscitation brought him back, but it was touch and go for a while. The expectation was that it was going to be a long road back from the Covid 19 for Alan, but miraculously as quickly as he’d fallen ill, he recovered. With a renewed sense of purpose and vision decided that if he was given additional time it would be a waste to not use it pursuing his purpose.
I try not to peddle hyperbole, but there’s a real sense of that on this record. There’s an immediacy that’s apparent in the absolutely masterful songwriting, and the lyrics and vocals tell that plainly. Musically, there’s a host of talented West Virginia mainstays that bring these songs to life. Thematically, the title references the people in Alan’s life who’ve been there. We often offhandedly say if you need anything, “Let Me Know.” According to Alan, this album is for all of the people who meant it, and got him here today. The recovery that Alan’s own doctors deemed miraculous led to a story-filled ride. While some of these songs are written before, during, and after these events, on an album Alan calls a “snapshot of his life,” they all take on additional weight because of those circumstances.
It’s an absolutely multidimensional experience that is a must listen. This is one of my favorite records of the year. I say that honestly; I’m genuinely impressed. It has a very independent feel, but the song craft and instrumentation is world class. It’s lightning in a bottle in the most beautiful way. I would put this record against any major release for the quality and genuine feel. Jeffrey McClelland may be a wizard from another dimension, as this was produced, recorded, and mastered by one mind in a basement studio. The overall vibe of the record reflects the influences of Alan as a songwriter; from Cage the Elephant’s Thank You, Happy Birthday, which is referenced in one segue on the album, to Kacey Musgraves and Paramore. It’s an indie rock experience that would leave me shocked, and possibly a little disappointed, if it doesn’t gain traction over the coming months.
I had a chance to catch up with Alan and talk about the album, life, and the ride along the way. I’ve included his thoughts on some of the tracks for the album.
Let Me Know starts the experience off with “Leave It to Me,” which has an indie rock-march feel. Littered with the familiar sounds of single coil guitars bouncing over a constantly shifting undertone of overdriven and fuzzy guitars and a tight rhythm section that has a fairly pronounced swing.
“Familiar Faces” for me was a standout on the record. There’s a thick wall of sound approach to the guitars which can bog down a track if you aren’t careful. This is balanced by a superb performance from the rhythm section on the record. It has a bouncy and upbeat vibe while still having some teeth. The effected vocals on the track immediately call to mind arena alternative. It’s overall thematically about people who want to see you not do well.
“To My Younger Self” has almost a reggae pop bounce that has great movement. The drum machine is something that you don’t always hear in this region and it immediately feels extremely well placed. It balances pop and alternative. I can imagine this is a fantastically fun song live.
“Better on the Ground” is immediately personal, with references to Brown’s health struggles. It’s beautifully written and emotionally gripping. The piano work combined with the drive in the chorus feels extremely emotive with the vocals. it showed up on rock radio, it wouldn’t feel out of place. It’s distinctly West Virginia, but also stretches well beyond that. Written by a friend during a difficult time it still reflects Alan’s struggle.
“I remember texting but it didn’t make sense. Things I’d come to terms with: we have to not waste time, not hold grudges. I felt like God had called my bluff. Jeff had written it while I was unconscious, but the texts matched up to the lyrics perfectly. I feel like my spirit found Jeff, and he wrote and recorded this and it felt like something I would play and write.”
“Secret War” is sonically my favorite track on the record. I think there’s a real art to tracks like this one. It straddles the line of heavier indie rock and pop music. The vocal melody is extremely interesting and makes you immediately pay attention. The wash of overdriven guitars under the driving drum beat is special sonically. There is also a voice that is likely familiar to fans of Americana, Oh Boy Records own Arlo McKinley, whose vocals fit right in on the track.
“Arlo and I have been friends for a while, he’s someone who is an incredible musician, but he’s extremely loyal. He would do anything for anyone. I wrote a song called “Ruby” that I wanted Arlo on, but it wasn’t good. I tried to write in his voice. But this song felt really right and it came to life. At the end, Brian Haydon, a man I look up to, a huge advocate for mental health, he came in to talk about what he talks about and it deserved to be there.”
“On and On” is a beautiful pop march. A constant motion of fuzz and percussion with an energetic vocal. This is another song on the record that means that I will be seeking out a show for Corduroy Brown to make sure I get to experience these tracks in what you can feel is their natural habitat.
“That was the first love song I’d ever written. I’ve been writing since ’08 and never written a love song. I don’t know where it came from. I was feeling good about where I was after a tough break up. This was finally finding a happy place, and finding someone again.”
“Sponge” has almost a post-rock feel. Washed out reverb and modulation with a subdued vocal that speaks to the reverence of being better for struggle, androwing from it rather than succumbing to it. Musically and vocally it feels like a warning and a celebration in the same package.
“I have a video of me at my parents’ house playing that song. On an old phone. One of the things I struggle with, something I learned in therapy: what I learned is that when people let you down, you just have to hold on to the value of friendship. Be careful of people who are sponges. They just take, just absorb. I had to be careful of that.”
“Die Happy” is a celebratory track. Considering the subject matter and recent timeline of Alan “Corduroy” Brown’s medical struggles, it may immediately seem morbid, but it isn’t. Instead it's a celebration and acceptance of mortality and the gift of learning to live before you die. This song was written before Alan was in the hospital, and somehow fits as a bookend to his struggle. It’s written as an approach to mental health and making fun of death, but took on a new meaning after his 2020 experience. So much so that it almost didn’t make the record. Luckily good sense prevailed, as it’s an excellent closure to an excellent album.
The album as a whole centers on some major themes. Mental health, the struggles that come from the silence and fear of speaking out regarding mental health. Relationships, loss, and literal life and death color the songs and writing. There’s a hope and melancholy that’s scattered all over this record. It’s heavy in theme, but always with optimism.
”Some of these songs are older, some of them were written this year. It’s a time capsule of my life. I learned a lot about regret in a hospital bed, mostly about regret, some heavy and some trivial, like old girlfriends. It’s about growth and change. Change is good. It doesn’t have to be monumental. I was looking at things through a lens of a dark time. Confusing things in my life. It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way. Looking at death, I’m not afraid to live.”
Let Me Know has a release date of August 13th, so if you’re reading this, listen to the record while you read along then listen to it again with your full attention. It deserves that. It's a truly masterful record. I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m grateful Alan is still here to share it with us!
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