Aaron Brooks

Aaron Brooks | „Homunculus“

Light in the dark

A room full of soldiers. A woman in a red dress sings to them, a cigarette holder in her hand. If you close your eyes to the music of Aaron Brooks on his solo debut “Homunculus”, films shoot straight into your head. Dark films, cynical films, wild films – like Tim Burton’s animated features – and then there are always those spectacular moments when the sun rises.

Aaron Brooks, the songwriter of the acclaimed American psychedelic rock band Simeon Soul Charger, returns with this album after a two-year leave from the music scene. In 2011 he moved to Germany with his band and over the years they garnered a large fan base all over Europe. In 2016 the Soul Chargers disbanded, their members following their own musical paths and with “Homunculus” we now hold the result of Aaron’s creative break in our hands. And it is spectacular!

In the opener “Consume” Aaron Brooks presents his cynical side and the razor-sharp view of our numb, morally degenerate consumer society. Bass and drums lay the dry grooving foundation that you would never have expected on a songwriter album. “Wake Up the Mountain”conveys a life wasted. Sad, almost depressing, Aaron’s crystal clear voice sounds over a wonderful piano carpet. And towards the end the mountain really does wake up, when – orchestral and cinematic – distorted guitars, strings and monumental choirs set in. Associations with Muse cannot be denied. And why should they be? Many of the varied songs on his album are progressive, not to make things complicated, but to surprise and inspire, especially when the door is ripped open and the light flows into the dark room.

Compared to Simeon Soul Charger, Aaron Brooks also shows us slower, more melancholic songs. The piano often plays a leading role, as well as strings and orchestral percussion. His inspiration most often comes from personal experiences, be it the very important encounters with people on his tours or the dark, depressive moments. After thirteen exciting songs in changing line-ups, Aaron once again looks critically at our society with “Digital”, accompanied by synthesizers and sophisticated choirs.

Aaron’s solo debut “Homunculus” was produced by Yogi Lang, one of the two heads of RPWL and label director of Gentle Art Of Music. His RPWL and label colleague Kalle Wallner contributed a lot of guitars, while Lang provided the excellent sound as he did in the past for artists like Ray Wilson.

You can simply sense that Aaron loves writing music and recording it in the studio, yes, he needs it – it’s a kind of catharsis for him. It’s nice that he lets us participate in this process and floods all the darkness with light again and again.

Guest musicians:
Kalle Wallner (RPWL): guitar, bass
Yogi Lang (RPWL): keyboards
Hansi Enzensperger (ORGAN EXPLOSION): keyboards
Peter Savee: banjo
Karl Muskini: trombone

Produced by Yogi Lang,

Info and pictures for download