Faster and Louder: Lorne Behrman

Friday, September 16, 2022

Lorne Behrman - A Little Midnight

A Little Midnight, the debut full-length album from Lorne Behrman, fulfills the considerable promise of last year's wonderfully surprising EP When I Hit the Floor. After decades as a premiere punk rock guitar slinger, Behrman found himself in uncharted territory as a singer, songwriter, and lead artist. Yet he stepped comfortably and confidently into this new phase of his career, producing a debut EP crafted under the influence of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and vintage New York City punk rock. A Little Midnight has a similar poetic punk feel but broadens Behrman's musical palette. It is, as he says, the "full span" of who he is as a musician. These are the songs that were always in his heart and mind, now finally captured on record. In spots, he embraces the simplicity and efficiency of punk rock in its purest form. In other spots, he proves himself a formidable and powerful balladeer. And of course he delivers a few tunes that will bring to mind the heyday of Television, Richard Hell, and Jim Carroll.

Listening to A Little Midnight is a "best of both worlds" type experience: you get tremendous depth and sophistication in the music, yet the songs come and go long before they wear out their welcome (total running time for ten tracks is just 21 minutes). Behrman is the kind of songwriter who's unafraid to cut himself open, and certainly the ten New York City vignettes that comprise this album were largely inspired by his own life. The songs' protagonists face setbacks, heartbreaks, disappointments, and loss. They are haunted by the past and struggle to find their way forward. Yet in the end, hope prevails and better things await. As fellow humans, we can relate to these songs because we have similar stories. I'm not sure what specific qualities a singer/songwriter has to have to make you want to root for them. But whatever they are, Lorne Behrman has got them. And while it goes without saying that the lead guitar work on these tracks is absolutely fantastic, it's a joy to hear the other aspects of Behrman's craft coming into their own. He has taken that half-spoken style of singing and fully made it his own. And in terms of writing songs with strong melodies, he has made a huge leap forward on this album. Just listen to the quintessential New York City rock and roll of "Monday Morning Rain" or the stunning ballad "You Won't Live In This Past" — this is the work of a real songwriter, not just a guitarist writing songs.

If When I Hit the Floor had you hoping that Lorne Behrman would continue his journey as a solo artist, A Little Midnight will make you glad that he did. It brings you everything from punk rock jolts of energy (the title track and "Love Stumbles By") to soulful Stonesy rockers ("Harlem River Serenade") to Dylan-esque ballads ("Further On Down the Road") to gospelized spoken word exercises ("Well, I Can't Hold You"). Working with drummer Hector Lopez (Alejandro Escovedo/The Sweet Things) and veteran producer Matt Chiaravalle (who also plays bass and keyboards), Behrman has created his magnum opus. It's in spirit a definitive NYC punk rock album, yet it's so much more than that. It's the work of a gifted, immensely human songwriter who wears his love for New York on his sleeve. Buy it now on compact disc from Spaghetty Town Records for just five dollars plus postage!