BR/DGES – Love and Hate – EP Review

Dine Alone Records

By Zach Fulkerson

http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/brdges-love_hate_ep_stream

Kenny Bridges, for many, is one of the quintessential voices of indie Canadian music in the early 2000s as the frontman of Moneen. Ranging in influence from pop, punk, rock and often translated to ‘emo,’ Moneen’s music resonated significantly and carries a legacy still as the band prepares to perform once again alongside friends in the reuniting juggernaut, Alexisonfire, this summer.

And that’s all well and good, but before Bridges gets to that, he’s unveiled two nuggets of personal prowess for fans, old and new, to indulge in, through a solo EP, “Love and Hate” as the moniker BR/DGES. These two songs feature Bridges in much more reflective and subdued place than previous musical efforts, making use of the often found trope of acoustic ballads in solo efforts.

The first track, “What Are You Waiting For?” is self described as a song being about Bridge’s troubles writing and feeling that many of his songs were not good enough to release. Channeling that sense of self doubt and fear, Bridges turns out a soaring ballad with resonating harmonies bursting into an ending that features a full sound with drums and electric guitars backing the vocal’s call to action.

The second track, “Save The Best,” is a personal love letter to Bridges’ wife. Featuring the acoustic sound similar to the first track, this song also makes use of the more percussive side of things featuring a cajon. The track once again breaks into a strong finish with a guitar solo and build of group vocals reminiscent of Moneen’s glory days.

These two tracks are great and offer only one downside, that there’s only two of them on the EP. As much as I and many others desperately want more Moneen tracks to be released, this solo offering from Kenny Bridges is a definite eye opener, showing plenty of growth and maturity in his song writing and performance. If Bridges finds it in himself to dig deeper and release some more solo material, I doubt any one would have much to complain about. For now, these two are on repeat.