The Honey Brothers

Time Flies Like a Peach, the new album by the Brooklyn-based quintet The Honey Brothers, began with the unintentional vocal mauling of a playful proverb, "time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a peach." The band liked the mistake-it seemed to touch on a big topic (the passage of time) without taking it too seriously. This quality of winking at big topics, be they empathy ("Empathy Gap") or intimacy ("New Attitude") is characteristic of the band. The idea extends to the Brothers' unique approach to instruments. As often is the way with art, something a little different came out of the Kingston sessions, recorded with producer Malcolm Burn. It's not a new band, but it definitely represents a new, less flippant attitude to the band's work. Time Flies features contributions by all members of the group. It has disco ("Green and Gold") and early new wave ("New Attitude"), Andrew Vladeck folk ("Passing Knowledge") and a bit of Squeeze in all the double vocals. "Time U Space Love" reflects the time the band has spent together over the better part of a decade.

Ari Gold and college friends Andrew Vladeck and DS Posner formed the group's original nucleus as an East Village ukulele trio known for impromptu street performances. The familial, communal vibe was cemented further when Adrian Grenier joined and the members decided to take new names as brothers. Their recording career began in September of 2005, when the guys were mourning the accidental death of the original bass-playing Brother, Pierre Michel, who had joined the band along with Adrian in 2002. They hadn't written a new song in some time, but in homage to Pierre, they (with Ari's brother Ethan on bass) decided to independently release an album, 2006's Songs for Your Sister. The album garnered considerable acclaim and led to a growing fan-base in the northeast, including several sold-out performances at NYC's Bowery Ballroom. In 2008, Ethan left the band and was replaced by Dan Green. The Brothers entered the studio of Brooklyn-based producer Brad Albetta and recorded the 4-song EP Demonstration. The EP includes such driving New Wave dance-rock gems as "City," the title track, and "Won't Last Long." In 2010, the boys began recording Time Flies with producer Malcolm Burn-a slow process to be sure, but one that was worth the wait.