You Me Future Now is the third and newest release from Philadelphia-spawned quartet The Brian Shapiro Band. I can write with confidence that Shapiro isn’t out of place, as a songwriter, in the autobiographical confessional school of song lyricists. Even a cursory listen to the band’s preceding albums and the songs included with this new outing supplies ample evidence for his personal connection to the material.
His talents, however, do not stop there. Shapiro’s musical acumen is diverse enough to embrace less than customary arrangements that nonetheless travel recognizable territory. Some things sound off-kilter, like the album opener “Drip Drip”, but never veer too far askew. Shapiro and his fellow musicians have a penchant for instrumental workouts with only a brief lyric and “Drip Drip” continues in that tradition. The words, however, are as sharp as the music and the first song has a definite effect moving forward.
Shapiro cuts “Privacy” from familiar musical cloth. The slightly disjointed arrangement demonstrates the needed consistency though. Discerning listeners will latch onto the pattern early and it’s an easy song to ride from that point forward. Shapiro’s talent for making off-kilter palatable for listeners provides listeners with an invaluable inroad into his material. He resolutely refuses to follow a business as usual pattern in his songwriting and performances but never leaves you adrift in an alien landscape.
BANDCAMP: https://brianshapiroband.bandcamp.com/
“Better in TX” serves up some social commentary without ever sounding strident. Shapiro’s talent for biting satire serves his songwriting well and one of the key reasons is how he avoids any overt belligerence. There is no question where his politics lie when you hear “Better in TX” and he wisely builds his message around everyday lives rather than sloganeering. The musical accompaniment is especially potent as Shapiro and his bandmates break with their convention. The raucous piano playing running through the track is a nice addition to the performance.
Shapiro and the band move in a different direction with the track “Are You There, God?” – an “open latter” of sorts from Mark Zuckerberg to the Almighty Himself. It is outright satire, without question, and the lyrics provide listeners with several laugh out loud moments. The arrangement is arguably more off the beam than any other album track.
Bluesy inclinations help “Oh, You Children” stand out even more, but it is a vocal showcase as well for Shapiro. Including slide guitar in the song may hit some listeners as a curious choice given The Brian Shapiro Band’s proclivity for upending listener expectations, but it is a potent reminder of their versatility.
The finale “Hangin’” closes the release on a daring note. Shapiro and his fellow musicians abandon the often disjointed sounding but otherwise coherent template of the preceding songs in favor of classical backing. Coupling such instrumentation with a personal lyric like we have here makes it all the more impressive. The Brian Shapiro Band’s third album You Me Future Now lives up to the lofty standards set by its predecessors while looking towards the future.
Jodi Marxbury