Brookville's Troubled Soul

© Brookville

Brookville's troubled soul, Andy Chase.

Dark, troubling lyrics make for a downer of an album, right? Consider for example Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska album, which is never going to be one of his best sellers, despite critical acclaim and memorable songs such as “Atlantic City.”

So Andy Chase’s latest Brookville release, Broken Lights, is sure to be a downer, too, right? Actually...no.

On songs like “Happy,” “Goodbye,” and the first single, “Great Mistake,” all focused on relationships gone awry or ending, the music is upbeat. No whining, no dirge here. In fact, after listening to the album a few times you’ll find “Great Mistake” stuck in your head. But first, let’s back up.

A New York-based musician and producer, Chase is best known as a member of the band Ivy, which has released four albums and provided scores for several movies, including “Shallow Hal.” On the side, he solos in the guise of Brookville. Brookville’s third album, Broken Lights, debuted in September. In addition, Chase co-owns Stratosphere Sound recording studio in New York City with former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and IVY bandmate Adam Schlesinger, who is also bassist for Fountains of Wayne.

I recently had a chance to talk with Brookville's Andy Chase about two of our favorite things, music and motorcycles.

Andy, what’s the idea behind your bouncy songs of sorrow?

Well, much of the time some of the most screwed up people are making the most beautiful music. Look at James Taylor. If you peel back some layers on IVY and Brookville you'll see how troubled our inner souls are. The majority of our songs are about dying, suicide, and such. They’re troubling. Lyrically they’re quite dark.

But the music is not. I like to infuse horror in music that's uplifting. I like to marry contrasts. It’s the contrasts that make it interesting for me.

“Dreaming On” struck me as evocative of Jeff Buckley. Is he one of your influences?

Really? Do you mean lyrically or the vibe? I love Jeff Buckley but he’s not an influence.

The songs on the album are all fairly easy-going and laid back, as is the music done by Ivy. Does Andy Chase have an edge, and if so, where does it show up?

Paul McCartney and Sting are both good examples of singers who needed their bands to reach to heights they couldn't reach on their own. In the studio, to me my voice sounds a little too earnest, so I back down. On this latest record my producer, Pedro Resende, pushed me to sing more openly, taking more chances with my voice.

Still, I feel my songs lend themselves to performing live. If they could only sound like that on record I'd like them even more. With “Dreaming On,” you really hear it explode live. I like my voice live, so I’ll sing harder. This is what Pedro was pushing me to do in the studio.

In the video for “Great Mistake” you’re on a motorcycle, riding around New York City. Is there a connection between your music and motorcycles?

I’m a long-time motorcycling fanatic. I’ve been dirt-biking since I was a kid. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, to incorporate bikes in an artistic way, and show my passion for motorcycles in music without being too heavy handed. It’s certainly not biker music. In my world, indie pop, it’s devoid of motorcycle enthusiasts, or else they keep a low profile.

The video was a blast for me. This is my favorite video that I ever did. We decided to shoot it late at night in Times Square so there would be no traffic. As it was we had to shoot everything four or five times because 95 percent of the footage is me stuck in traffic.

Will you be incorporating motorcycling into your recording again in some way?

Yes, in the future I’d like to incorporate it in some way, in a video or an album cover. The most influential for me in that regard is the band Prefab Sprouts. On their album cover for “Steve McQueen” they’re all sitting on a motorcycle. That’s always resonated with me but it doesn’t work if it’s too heavy-handed.