Life > November 8, 2007

By Kristen Guth | Staff writer

The Mansions performance in Shorty’s Nov. 1 was a steady flow of inner contemplation fused with minimalist indie-rock beats.

Lead singer Christopher Browder’s solo and band renditions were well-received by an appreciative crowd.

Formerly under band names such as Bristopher Crowder and Good Driver during his time as an undergraduate at the university, Browder, ‘06, recently launched the band as The Mansions.

As a composing artist, he’s gotten a good start in the music industry – he’s produced an album and one of his instrumentals is on a commercial advertising Grey’s Anatomy DVDs.

Browder’s influences derive mainly from the rock and indie genres: “I learned to play the guitar by imitating the Foo Fighter’s lead guitarist and playing along to their songs,” Browder said. He said he admires Ryan Adam’s artistic treatment of music, although Dashboard Confessional also had a significant impact on the development of his sound in high school.

The topics of Mansions’ songs revolve around relationships and self-discovery. A constant stream-of-consciousness runs between action and thought dominating the lyrical themes. A preoccupation with loneliness comes to the forefront in several songs.

Browder’s songs discuss the effort to distinguish identity of the self apart from a group, and matched against clean chords, this theme comes across poignantly with a strong appeal to the college audience.

Musically, The Mansions’ postmodern outlook translates into instrumental simplicity that highlights the singing.

The song “Curacao Blue” patterns the sound of gentle waves, and a candid reflection exposes a contentious moment in the song: “I know just what I was drinking when I first was untrue / Sea air, cheap beer and some loneliness all mixed with Curacao blue / Did I think it would stay?”

The catchy melody and motivational lines make “Gotta Be Alone” one of the most successful of Browder’s songs as a stripped-down live version. The edgier studio recording gives it a rock tone. Accentuated contrasts between the raw live material and the studio-recorded songs, such as with “Substitute Angel,” keep The Mansions as interesting in concert as on the album.

Headed back to hometown Louisville, KY., and later to Indiana for more performances, The Mansions has emerged onto the mainstream indie scene and will no doubt climb the sound charts soon.