Music On is an opportunity to highlight a band/group/person in the music industry that many would not consider “main stream” in the USA.
The group in tune this month is Midnight Brown. Midnight Brown is composed of only two people, Jeff Gerstmann and Chris Henderson. Jeff and Chris together take care of the vocals and instrumentation, although Jeff holds down vocals most of the time while Chris is backup.
Midnight Brown is published by the two creators, but so far there have been no physical copies of their albums for sale. Their music, however, can be found at their website and downloaded for free. Even though Midnight Brown is self-published, their work has appeared in many videos and other productions from Gamespot and Giant Bomb.
The duo so far has released four albums: 17 Brown Lies, 2084, Dope/Revenge, and Deadly Electric. All four albums are heavily electronica, but each one sticks to its own certain feel and instrumentation, ranging from 8bit, to square wave, to midi synthesizer, to sampling.
The vocal and lyrical styles are all over the place as well, ranging from rap, to spoken word, to falsetto singing. The lyrics through all the albums touch on many random topics that to many seem like nonsense. However, some of them are very catchy and can get ingrained in your head… cat belt buckle. Even with the nonsense lyrics and, some would say, subpar compositions, Midnight Brown is still a fun group to listen to. This is highlighted by the fact that Jeff and Chris seem to be having fun making the music. You can even hear them laughing after some verses in the background.
While Midnight Brown is far from mainstream quality, they should not be overlooked. With their electronica sounds, varying vocal styles, and unique lyrics, Midnight Brown will surprise some people. While you can’t buy their 7-inch, you can give them a download here. And always remember kids: Indie underground leads to popularity. Popularity leads to intimacy.
Groundskeepers by day, Gravy Robbers by night