Posthumous Success

Indie singer/songwriter Tom Brosseau picks up the sound of his 2007 release Cavalier and expands it somewhat to more of a full-group sound with 2009's Posthumous Success. While Brosseau still displays his knack for low-key guitar and vocal-based arrangements, here we find him utilizing such folky sounds as banjo, accordion, keyboards, and even "loops" to push out the walls of his songs. The result is something far more indie-rock sounding than the spare, afterglow vibe of Cavalier and songs like the driving "'You Don't Know My Friends" and the rambling "Drum Roll" evince a kind of Pavement meets Brendan Benson vibe. Similarly, "New Heights" and "Miss Lucy" are minor Baroque pop masterpieces that feature Brosseau's soft croon framed in Moogy keyboards, lilting flute sounds, and sundry percussion. But for longtime fans of Brosseau, there are plenty of intimate and bittersweet moments, like the catchy and sweet lead-off track "My Favorite Color Blue." And even when these moments are accented with light washes of synthesizer, fuzzy guitar, and drums they still retain Brosseau's idiosyncratic and poetic eye for detail.