Review: “Laughs and defiance. I love this record.”
By Geoff Berner, singer, songwriter, and novelist, May 2021
“With their first album, A Little Letter, Brivele introduced themselves to the world with a bang. Their fresh, brave and often hilarious approach to making new Jewish leftist culture announced them as an important part of What Is Happening With Yiddish Song These Days.
Cradle Songs, Grave Songs is even better, and it reinforces the point that these people are intent on creating a body of work that will stand as an important part of the story of the long line of Jews, going back to the Bund and beyond, who made and make anti-capitalist, anti-patriarchy, anti-white supremacy, anti-Zionist, anti-boring new culture, culture that brings people together and warms them, to make them feel less alone when things are tough.
There is serious Yiddish song scholarship, serious musicianship, and gorgeous, spine-tingling harmonies here. And laughs, and defiance. I love this record.”
