Box Set: Thread (Capricorn)
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Unfortunate name aside, San Francisco’s Box Set come up a winner with their major label debut, “Thread.” Singer-songwriters Jim Brunberg and Jeff Pehrson formed the band after starting out as an acoustic duo, and that continuing focus on songwriting elevates Box Set from many of the acoustic-based rockers out there. In contrast to the “No Depression” bands, Box Set has an inherently commercial sound, with breezy harmonies, facile musicianship and resounding hooks highlighting songs like Pehrson’s “Back to You” and “Falling.” Brunberg’s more pensive, quirky songs balance Pehrson’s brighter sound, though rarely has a song about existential angst sounded as upbeat as Brunberg’s glorious “Eighteen Days of Rain.” All in all, “Thread” is an impressive effort that ought to appeal to fans of groups like Canada’s Blue Rodeo and Chicago’s Freddy Jones Band.