Lately, Brad Laner has been spending a lot of time at home. Such self-induced seclusion might seem a little out of sync for a singer/songwriter better known for his workaholic tendencies fronting the likes of Medicine and Electric Company, but after the birth of his first son, Laner’s attention was understandably diverted.
“I couldn’t really do anything the first two years he was around,” says Laner of his now three-year-old son Julian. “It really wiped out that creative drive for a while.” Despite this shift in energy, over the course of those three years Laner worked with the equipment he had at hand in his house, developing dozens of tracks. With the help of co-producer Thom Monahan, he sorted through the collection. The end result has become Laner’s first official solo album, Neighbor Singing.
A departure from his noisy shoegazing days, Laner’s latest is a surrealist pop, combining sunny Beach-Boys-like melodies with the kind of kaleidoscopic daydreams that spill into territories of pyschedelica. Says Laner, “I’ll never escape the ’60s. That’s where it all starts for me. But I think anything I do is going to reflect where I am at any particular moment. I don’t think I could have made this record in my earlier days, my pre-child-having days. I think it’s informed by everything I’ve done up ‘til now.”
Though most in Laner’s current position would normally find themselves scheduling some extensive supporting tour following the release of new material, the Los Angeles native doesn’t plan on going anywhere. He just wants to stay home and play with his son. Says Laner, “Music isn’t as important as family—which was the intention all along. I had gotten incredibly tired of having music—or a so-called career in music—be more important than anything else. It’s kind of good for the music to have it not be the most important thing in my life anymore. I think it helped me make a better record.”
-Mike Hilleary
Brad Laner: www.bradlaner.com