No, that is indeed the correct name for this latest album by one, Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Pet Genius, Kid Kilowatt, Converge, etc). And while his sanity level might be questioned initially by the naming of the project his relationship to it is undeniable when compared to other material throughout his prolific career as a musician in bands and as a solo artist. The Black Ribbon Award might be Brodsky's third or fourth solo album depending on how one views his output outside of his bands; chronologically, Expose Your Overdubs, Ole' Sunday, and Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum (disputable since this started as another band) precede this release by "Stove Bredsky." The Black Ribbon Award compiles a slew of material that Brodsky had composed over the last several years and further establishes him as a prominent song writer within the independent music community.
Songs like "Dead Winter" and "Mayfly" sonically are very close to what Brodsky and The Octave Museum released on that record and just as upbeat as well, only this time there is quite a bit of kazoo playing that was absent from his last album (in a recent solo show Mr. Brodsky related to the crowd that he was getting tired of guitar pedals and was going with a kazoo now, much laughing ensued). The slow dirge of "Dead Battery" is quite a surprise partially because of its incredibly fuzzed out bass guitar sound and partially because somehow "Stove" makes this song so damn catchy when he finally (because it takes a while to get there) begins singing; the slow vocal melody is rather good. "Orange Sunshine Medicine" is very reminiscent of Brodsky's early solo material (long time listeners should just imagine Expose Your Overdubs recorded in a big studio instead of on a four track and they will have a good idea of the sound); it is a mellow acoustic track with some background vocals. The lethargic tempo of "Prospect Hill" gives the song a quality not unlike feeling as if it is just going to stop or barely keep going but that seems to be part of the charm of the song; the kazoo solo is awesome and lends a unique quality to the track, and for some reason that I cannot place, I keep listening to this song.
Surprisingly The Black Ribbon Award is really compositionally erratic when considering the usual "polished" nature of Stephen Brodsky's previous solo records and group projects (even the lo-fi early solo records seem better put together). It seems as if some of the tracks ("Blue Seclusion" and "Trout") here are actually pieces of or ideas for potential songs while other songs are more developed and complete sounding, but this might just be an impression that may actually change over time. Still, Stove Bredsky does deliver several excellent tracks on The Black Ribbon Award that make for good listening, and although I do prefer Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum a bit more than this album, there is enough for me to enjoy on its own merits.
