BC’s Shawn Mrazek is constantly compared to Lou Reed, which is tiring given how much energy and full, careful orchestration bubbles over his first solo LP venture, Thought He Was Dead. Not saying Lou Reed isn’t a happy guy, but you know. By comparison, Mrazek is high on life, taking his post-Evaporators honesty and building a log cabin out of it. “Another World” stokes the indie-pop fire while “The Forest inside My Heart” roasts marshmallows. The LP is a sweet confection stacked with sugary guests and just a sprinkle of sea-salt to keep diabetes at bay. Overall, a real treat.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2013.