The Grays - Friend of Mine

Jon Brion and Jason Falkner have been guiding forces in pop music for quite some time. Individually, Jason has created intelligent, quirky pop music for his own bands, Jellyfish and The Three O'Clock, and released three well-loved and critically acclaimed solo albums. Jon, a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, has created music for several movies (including "Punch Drunk Love" and "I Heart Huckabees"), his own solo album, and acted as producer/arranger for Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Beck, and the late Elliott Smith.

Back in 1994, in a post-band haze, The Grays were formed by Jason and Jon, along with Buddy Judge and Dan McCarroll, as a reaction to the collective members' dislike of being members of bands. Intended as a unitarian view of a band, one in which all members would be equal contributors to the songwriting and creative pool, the project was so short lived it only produced one album, 1994's Ro Sham Bo. Due to the incredibly strong views of each member, it was clear they could not work together. Considering the way in which the project came to exist, this strangely bittersweet and ironic ending should come as no surprise to anyone.

They did leave us a pop music gem, however, filled with delightful, off the beaten path melodies and catchy hooks. The album is out of print, so let me take a minute to share with you my favorite songs off the album.

BONUS TRACKS:
Same Thing
Nothing Between Us
Very Best Years