“I found that, in the increasingly insane and divisive world, it was the craft of composing music that kept me sane,” describes Renaissance man Jim Brunberg about his new album, CROONING THROUGH THE APOCOLYPSE, out today on vinyl and all streaming services.

The longtime Wonderly and Box Set frontman is an accomplished composer, with a handful of Billboard-charting pop singles and a hit theme song for The New York Times podcast to his credit. For Brunberg, it’s all about the songwriting.

“Not just my writing, but specifically finding gems by others - mostly in the past - who had honed their craft to the highest potency level. I learned a lot about form, nuance, melody, counterpoint, and arrangement through coming up with fresh takes on these old songs,” describes Brunberg, taking on the new challenge of reimagining American songbook standards.

“Musically, these songwriters are my heroes, up there with Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, and Paul McCartney. Lyrically, these songs come from a time when less could be more, with the help of a good arrangement.”

Side A:
1. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
2. Nature Boy
3. In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town
4. Cottage for Sale
5. That Lucky Old Sun (Rolls Around Heaven All Day)

Putting the vinyl LP on the turntable, Side A opens on the smoothly languishing In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning and the silky gossamer of Nature Boy and then we get the playfully upbeat In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town, the melodic ballad Cottage for Sale, with the low slung That Lucky Old Sun (Rolls Around Heaven All Day) along next.

Side B:
1. Argument
2. Crazy
3. Bourbon Therapy
4. New Years Song
5. Stars Fell on Alabama

Turning the vinyl LP over and dropping the needle, up next on Side B is the wistful Argument which is in turn backed by a resounding absorbing Crazy, the all-encompassing Bourbon Therapy, the album rounding out on the harmoniously-sculpted New Years Song, closing on the jaunty folk-jazz of Stars Fell on Alabama.

Joining Brunberg on his journey of swan song are 45th Parallel musicians Ron Blessinger, Lisa Lipton, and Kevin Kunkel; Wonderly partner Ben Landsverk; Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas; and daughters Dana and Veronica Sparling. Crooning Through the Apocalypse is due out on August 23rd, 2024, on vinyl and all streaming services.

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