Jim Brunberg Returns with 'Songs of Stupid Hope', First Studio Output in 15 Years

A lot of people picked up hobbies during the pandemic. Some learned to garden, some to bake, some crocheted or quilted. Jim Brunberg didn't so much pick up a hobby during his time in isolation as re-ignite one. The result is Songs of Stupid Hope, his first solo outing in 15 years. Recorded mainly in his home studio, it's a showcase of the Box Set and Wonderly frontman's sense of humor and skill as a purveyor of gentle satire and essential truths.

The album's highlight is its closer, “Opening for Springsteen.” It's a live recording and a talking round in the vein of “Alice's Restaurant.” Retelling a dream of Brunberg seeing Bruce Springsteen, the story devolves into an accidental opening slot, a run-in with SNL bandleader G.E. Smith, and getting bigfooted by Billy Joel. It's a fun time and one that makes me hope there's a full live album on the horizon.

Another high point is “Mr. Clay.” Starting out as a gentle country-folk ode to a favorite teacher, it features an increasingly large “cussing jar” that helps fund the extra family the teacher was revealed to have after death. It's these little surprises, the hidden pockets inside songs that reward, like opening a present and finding another gift tucked inside.

Throughout the rest of Songs of Stupid Hope, Brunberg proves himself a musical nomad, wandering through Beatles-esque harmonies (“Hold me Tight Love”), blue-eyed soul (“Aftertimes”), and an airy Loggins & Messina styled song with a different take on the story of Jesus (“Easter Mom”).

If you're looking for something a bit different this year, something just a bit off-center, just a bit too oddball to be “normal” but wrapped in a conventional cloak that will be familiar to all, Songs of Stupid Hope might just be the album you want to kick off your 2023.