“No auto-tune, no crazy editing, all homemade,” says the Bandcamp of one of the best musicians I’ve heard from Baltimore. Timothy Bracken’s “Long Untied” is really great collection of sincere pop songs. Also, it’s twenty songs long and free! What more could you ask for?

Timothy Bracken was very involved in the Washington, D.C. music scene for quite a while and recently returned to his hometown of Baltimore to further his brand of alternative pop. He has quite a few great press reviews. Paste called him “brilliant alternative country.” The Washington Post says he “defines the genre” with “songs that sound engagingly tuneful and emotionally complicated within the same verse.”

I really can’t pick a favorite from “Long Untied”. This album, recorded in various basements, living rooms, and bedrooms in Baltimore, Berkeley Springs, Takoma Park, and Westminster is surprisingly consistent. Every track is solid. Every song is that word “engaging” as the Washington Post first pointed out.

This album just came out on the fifth! I hope it’s doing well. It seems that Bracken is currently playing shows around the area to support it. If you’re lucky enough to be around one of the areas he’s playing, be sure to check him out. I bet his live shows are great. His arrangements on the album are very tight. That always makes for a really satisfying live performance. Timothy Bracken writes good songs, arranges them well, and records them well, so I can only expect that the live show is wonderful.