Two years after the breakup of the Toadies, the Burden Brothers emerged on the Dallas rock scene. Fronted by Vaden Lewis (formerly Todd of the Toadies,) the Burden Brothers quickly made it onto the local, then national music scene. Their first LP, Buried in Your Black Heart, is a mixed bag of upbeat rock with strange, sometimes creepy vocals. The end result is a disappointment to Toadies fans and a start of something new. (I apologize for not knowing the other band member's names; A cursory glance at the website didn't reveal them-somebody let me know if you find them somewhere.)
1. Buried in Your Black Heart - A memorable guitar hook starts the title track, an upbeat rocker that immediately showcases the band members' talents. Vaden enters with his typical fast-paced, almost-screaming vocal style, laid over Taz' drumming and three quick guitar solos. An apt opening to the style of the album.
2. Shadow - Another upbeat rock song, Shadow introduces the lyrical theme of the album: relationships, whether good, bad, or in between. The song features a cruchy power chord riff throughout, supplemented with more of Taz' brilliant drum work and a surprisingly good bass line. At the breakdown, the guitar distorts into random studio noise (If anyone with studio experience knows how this was done, I would love to hear it.) The song slows at the end, with Vaden repeating the chorus line "I am the shadow" as the main riff fades. Shadow is the second single to come off the album.
3. Beautiful Night - Listeners of alternative/rock radio have probably heard the album's next offering (particularly if you listen to the Edge in Dallas.) Beautiful Night is a song for those nights when you get depressed and don't want to do anything, so you cruise around town listening to depressing music. The main riff is somewhat similar to Shadow, but the similarities end after the first chorus. When Vaden breaks into yelling "Raise your hands, raise your hands!" you can't help but imagine seeing them onstage. A great song, one of the best on the album.
4. Come on Down - A heavily drum-driven song, Come on Down is a hard-hitting transition song devoid of meaningful lyrics. One of a few songs on the album that fares much better on stage.
5. You're So Goddamn Beautiful - Shades of the Toadies finally appear on the album in a spectacular way. Much slower paced then the previous songs, You're So Goddamn Beautiful features the lauguid guitar riffs and low-key rock that the Toadies made famous. Vaden laments a relationship ending, realizing what he's lost. A love song for the ages, and a Toadies throwback. Perhaps the best song on the album.
6. If You're Going to Heaven - The first ballad on the album, showcasing Vaden's vocal range and the guitarist's soloing skills. As ballads go, it's a pretty good song.
7. Do For Me - A throwback to the mid-90s chorus songs, featuring multiple singers in the chorus. Aside from some drum work mid-song, not a memborable cut.
8. Walk Away - A return to the faster-paced songs of the beginning of the album, moderated with a slower verse rhythm. Another song that reminds me a lot of the mid-90s British grunge songs.
9. Your Fault - The second ballad on the album. A very emotional song about the end of a relationship, summed by the line "Everything we make we break apart." Definitely the best ballad on the album.
10. Conditional - Another ballad, featuring vocals that are yelled in the more classical Vaden style. May be a bit much to layer ballads back to back, but still a good song.
11. Let it Go - Yet another ballad with a chorus of female singers in the background throughout. A much more upbeat song than the rest of the album.
Buried in Your Black Heart is a decent rock cd, giving a glimpse into what the Burden Brothers are. Where they really shine is onstage-if you live in Texas and love rock, definitely see the Burden Brothers. They put on a hell of a show. Don't expect to hear any Toadies songs; Vaden will flat refuse. Hang around though, because they'll play "The Rise and Fall of Dirty Sanchez" for their encore-if you get the reference, it makes it even better. I would suggest picking up their album, if only for the first five songs.
