Briar Rabbit recently introduced Chicago to their new EP, Briar Rabbit and the Company You Keep, by playing to a packed room at the Whistler. I missed the show, and based on the reaction, was quite sorry I did. Luckily I got my hands on the record.Phillip-Michael Scales, the singer-songwriter behind the curtain, is new on the Chicago music scene. He moved here this year after studying music in Boston, and the album is a collection of seven songs recorded between the two cities. It highlights Scales' contemplations with a diverse series of pop songs about leaving one place headed for another.
Opening track "Numbers" starts minor as a gypsy trot before opening up, and throws in a great solo that crosses genres and foreshadows Phillip-Michael's ability to jump smoothly from Elvis Costello and Ben Folds-esque melodic songmanship to darker laments and back over the course of one tune.
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