For downloads of Mp3's, biography, other information go to http://brendanmccloud.com

Brendan's American Backroads

About the Making of American Mythology

When I started my second album “American Mythology” some years ago, I found that I was writing songs that took a sharp detour from the songs and music of my first album “On the Edge of Time.” One critic described the first album like this:

Brendan McCloud’s debut CD, On the Edge of Time (Ancient Futures). The songs tend to be an amalgamation of Celtic overtones, soft rock and some sort of ethereal, digital experience... The CD starts off in an Arthurian way with "Lady of the Lake" -- I'm sure that those of you familiar with Avalon will enjoy it as much as I do. "Song for Leonardo" is a little slower in tempo, but every bit as good. "Blues for Meriwether Lewis" is almost ballad-like. For some reason I can picture Phil Collins singing "Love Overdrive." I can't put my finger on exactly why this is, but the resemblance is almost uncanny! My favorite song is "White Heat." There is a little hook in the background that just kind of grabs you. I also like the guitar playing. I wish I had McCloud's talent" - Wil Owen, Rambles.net - A Cultural Arts Magazine

I found that with the new album I was writing songs that were more basic and that had their roots in American rock, country, folk and blues. I have always had some confusion about my influences since they are so many, all the way from folk to pop rock, from the Beatles to Johnny Cash and every stop in between.

The very first song I wrote for this album was “Wings of Darkness” a song that all but wrote itself. In this song a possibly dark character on an endless journey down the two lane, black top highways of America, who may also may be dispensing some form of justice (or is it just balance?) considers loneliness after finding a woman, who may be the queen of darkness (or is it the queen of hearts?) and asks her to accompany him on his journey. This song was influenced by Alfred Bester’s “The Pi Man”, Damon Knight’s “What Rough Beast” and the imagery from Clint Eastwood’s “Pale Rider” as well as the comic book/ movie anti-heroes from The Crow, The Punisher, The Renegade and even “Ghost Rider”. This composite character graces the album cover.

In looking at the other songs I had “Blues for Prometheus” a kind of blues rocker song albeit with a classical mythological theme and “Fields of Eden” as pure a folk song as you could find about living on the land, love, purity and innocence. As I continued to write I came up with “Days of Fire,” a love ballad and reflection of growing older, “Approaching Normal” that had a sixties pop rock edge but was about the kind of love that most of us experience, hard love.

“Immortal” was an 80’s influenced rocker about, well, immortality… I resurrected a song from the 90’s with a Celtic rock synth violin about the two wars in Iraq, which sadly was even more relevant than the second time around.

Then came the Native American influenced instrumentals that also came about from living so close to nature in Greenbank, Washington on Whidbey Island.

I was creating another mélange of an album but this time it felt purely American. I had delved deep into country, rock and blues as well as the other music that had touched my soul. I listened to Johnny Cash, old and new, to alt country legend Steve Earle and to folks such as Lucinda Williams and Chris Whitley. I discovered those last two after all the music had been written but their work underscored the validity of the direction I was going.

Like “On the Edge of Time”, I also found that I was drinking deep of classical mythology but also “American Mythology.” I found that my album title which started out as “Myths and Legends” then “Electric Mythology” and finally, yes, “American Mythology.” The album title was so good I had to write a song of that name and did so as one of the last efforts for the album.

So I had my album which was “Alt Country” Plus. And if you download the songs you’ll have it as well. I hope you enjoy the new album and tell your friends about it.