COLOR THEORY: Perfect Tears

Color Theory

Perfect Tears

© 1999 11th Records (601171500520)

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21st Century Piano Pop for fans of Depeche Mode, The Postal Service, Ben Folds

notes

Color Theory is the musical alter ego of Huntington Beach singer-keyboardist-songwriter Brian Hazard. Hazard creates piano-driven electronic pop, combining sonic ingredients from Depeche Mode, The Postal Service, and Ben Folds in a fresh and compelling way. "Hazard writes songs that are intensely personal and uses technology to enhance material that is as emotive as the best folk." (Robert Kinsler, Orange County Register)

The Southern California based one-man band introduced itself to the world with the 1994 release of Sketches In Grey, followed by 1997's Tuesday Song, which includes the daringly non-fiction song Hazard performed as a marriage proposal to now-wife Michelle. The intimate and confessional Perfect Tears was in regular rotation at over 40 European commercial radio stations. 2001's Life’s Fairytale was the first Color Theory album to crack the CMJ RPM Top 20. The following year, Hazard received a grant from Jim Beam to record Something Beautiful, an all-acoustic set that could likely double as a Broadway musical.

In 2003, 11th Records released Color Theory presents Depeche Mode – a one-man tribute to Depeche Mode, complete with two new instrumental interludes. The album reinvents eleven of their most underappreciated songs, and also includes the track "Ponytail Girl", the Color Theory original that was mistakenly credited as a Depeche Mode track from their Exciter album.

Five years of sonic exploration culminate in the 2008 release of The Thought Chapter, which takes Color Theory's signature piano plus electronics style to a whole new level. The CD is packaged in a beautiful 6-panel Digipak with original drawings by Maya Klein, and features eleven new originals plus a Death Cab for Cutie classic.

reviews

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  • We love "Perfect Tears"!
    author: cloud nine and cloud seven

    Internet Music Radio, "Gone Fishing for Blue Skies", loves the world of Color Theory. Personal favorite, "Now I Know".

  • Minimalistic, stimulating piano/synth pop with intelligent, intimate lyrics
    author: Björn Brändewall

    Beautiful, minimalistic arrangements over pop songs, mixing piano sonnets with synthpop. Unconventional, stimulating melodies. To top it off, articulate, intimate lyrics. Color theory has a style that grows on you. For six months, I haven't been able to go for a week without listening to this album.

  • Completely Smitten!
    author: Leigh Ann Theresa

    Absolutely fabulous work by an artist I almost never heard of. By sheer happenstance I ran 'cross his little niche in mp3.com (was looking for references to Ben Folds Five) and was taken in right away. From the beauty of his honeysmooth voice to the blending of background piano and electronica, I've a new favorite. Heeh. I've also written him to tell him of my hooked-ness.

  • author: Nathan Busch

    One line? How about one word, " Incredible " All the songs on the cd are magnificant, but one of the songs that I think stands out is April's Bonfire. April's Bonfire is truly a beautiful song, filled with moody lyrics and a very nice synthy beat to it I heard a 30 second clip of this song awhile back and thought to myself " This is excellent " Brian is very talented and has a wonderful singing voice(something most artists seem to lack these days.) Keep up the good work!

  • author: Travis Woodward

    I just received my copy of "Perfect Tears" and I can't seem to stop listening to it. It, like the other Color Theory albums, express real emotion. I highly recomend all of the Color Theory albums.

  • author: Tim

    His best work so far! If you appreciate classical piano and polished vocals, you will love this album, which is spruced up with electronica, making this album a synthpop album in my humble opinion. The piano and synthetic sounds work quite well together, and you could not ask for better vocals, though perhaps you might have a hard time deciding between Gahan and Brian Hazard. This self-prouced album is definitely worth checking out, and he has a nifty website too.

  • author: Tim

    the first time i heard color theory i wasn't really to sure what to make of it...but after a few listens let me tell you...his lyrics are so powerful and at times so personal i feel like i shouldn't be listening...it's like peeking into his home...

  • author: Jason Baker

    Great emotional synthpop! Color Theory's first album in a while, and Brian Hazard still has "The Perfect Song"'s. A lot has been going on for Color Theory, as Brian has worked with a outside producer (Keith Gillard of Tinmen) for the first time, and has also gotten married since the release of the last album. There are some changes in his music because of all these new elements, but it's not a radical change. Piano's still play a large part in the music, and the lyrics are still very emotive and insightful. The version of "Stare Out The Window" on the album seems to me to be a combination of the version presented on the first Lexicon CD sampler, and the acoustic version presented on the re-issue of "Sketches In Grey". Apparently, there will be a track on the next sampler as well, and when I asked Brian about it, he said it'll be "April's Bonfire". I was kinda hoping it might be one of the 3 tracks that were considered for inclusion on this album, but didn't make it...but, oh well. Maybe they'll show up as B-sides to a CD-single... (Hint, Hint...;-) ). "April's Bonfire" is presented here in the same form, pretty much, as it appeared on the Y2K Compliant compilation. Actually, I've heard from Brain, and it turns out this version is a lot more fleshed out. Guess I wasn't listening close enough. I'm having a little trouble detecting any difference in the mix of "New Year's Day" on the Mix Rinse and Spin 2 compilation and the version here on the album. I think the version on the compilation may be a little longer. The next tracks here, "Long Distance Martyr", and "Now I Know", are totally new to me, and are great tracks. "Now I Know" is a track dominated by Piano musically, and I've always enjoyed these almost acoustic tracks from CTheory. I think I downloaded a sound sample of "Guilt Reflected" off the Color Theory Website, or maybe it was played on a show of Internet Synthpop Radio, and the song is even better when I hear the album version. The song "Ordinary & Free" has a great chorus, but the verses seem a little long in comparison to the chorus. "Faces" is great. Dancey synthpop with the Color Theory touch. "Acting Class" has the long verses like "Ordinary & Free", but it works a lot better in this song. For some reason, this song is just so appealing.. It has a story line that really draws you into the song. "For Good" is another one of those honest, really open songs, that lets you know the artist isn't just throwing down words on paper to make a song. You can really tell Brian's talking to someone through this song. "Souvenir " is the next to last song here. I didn't know Brian could hit a note that high. Wow. A neat song. "Until Last Night" is the final song on this album, and it's another primarily Piano song. Very personal lyrics. Brian Hazard makes this the second album in a row in which he closes with a very personal song, and I really appreciate his openness with his fans. All in all, a great album.

  • author: Mark Stryker, ISPR

    Perfect Tears...perfect! Brian Hazard (the sole member of Color Theory) has never completely fit into the synthpop category. While he has used synths in a number of his songs, they always leaned more towards the piano, and also seemed far more personal and emotional than other typical synthpop bands. With his latest release, Perfect Tears, he has stayed true to his style but has ventured further into the land of synthesizers. The twelve songs on Perfect Tears come closer than ever to the perfect fusion of piano and synthesizers, creating an emotional album that's sure to captivate your heart. The album starts out upbeat with two songs that were previously available on compilation discs: "Stare Out The Window" and "April's Bonfire." "Stare..." is quite possibly the song that fits into synthpop best; it contains some amazing instrumentation and lots of different sounds (including some guitar) that are hiding in the mix. The song, produced by Tinmen's Keith Gillard, is one that never fails to amaze me. I'm constantly finding things in that I never noticed before. "April's Bonfire" is quite similar, an upbeat tune with some great synthwork, and for the first time (that I remember), Brian can be heard singing through a vocoder. Both of the songs are now in rotation in European radio. Things slow down a bit for "New Years Eve," a melancholy-yet-uplifting look back on the events of 1998 (and it was coincidentally composed on, yes, New Years Eve), then comes the next song with 'hit' written all over it, "Long Distance Martyr." Wonderful piano work, catchy drums and uplifting synths that grab you tight and drag you into the chorus make this one very high on my list. "Now I Know" is a beautiful ballad, piano only, about trying to move on only to realize you're still caught up in that person. Perfect Tears finishes up with several more songs, all more of the great formula that Brian's music has followed all along. "Ordinary And Free" tackles the question of identity in a society that pressures everyone to conform, "For Good" is a wonderful tune of an undying friendship, and the album closes with "Until Last Night," a song about the kind of love that everyone seems to be searching for, but few ever find. Whoever this song was written for is a lucky person indeed, as Brian pours his soul completely into it. While it's not synthpop in its purest form, it's definitely a masterpiece in its own right. This is easily one of the best albums I have heard all year, and will be making a home for itself in my cd player for quite a long time. Get it, you'll be sorry if you don't.

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