Brooklyn Girl, You’re Going to Be My Bride – Barton Carroll
This track from singer-songwriter Barton Carroll is exactly the kind of free-flowing folk rock that really gets me going. It’s energetic, loose, and exceptionally clever without being too cute, with the line “I know she’s drowning in boys and a lot of hipster noise” only the most obvious example.
To be fair, the majority of the songs on his recent release The Lost One are far bleaker. They tend more toward slow-paced ruminations on the deeply hidden parts of the soul. The same sardonic wit which manifests itself in the wry humor of “Brooklyn Girl” is tinged with a dark streak. Where the former is content to poke gentle fun, the rest bite far deeper. Some of the best of these include the matter-of-fact”Those Days Are Gone and My Heart is Breaking” or the boot-stomping “Dark Place.”
In my book the lighter approach is superior, but your mileage may vary.