Peter Broderick’s http://www.itstartshear.com is as sprawling, heartfelt, and lovingly-rendered a collection of songs as you’re likely to hear this year; sixty-five minutes of controlled chaos running the gamut between bombastic and hushed, often times within the same track. And no, you didn’t read that wrong, Broderick, a 25-year old classically trained multi-instrumentalist living in Berlin (and definitely not the distribution guru who shares his name), has indeed titled his new record after a web domain. In the album’s press materials, Broderick explains his reasoning for this title, arguing:

“http://www.itstartshear.com serves the music well by automatically becoming a link any time the album is written about. A link to the place where people can learn all about the album, directly from the source. A link that is the album.”

Forgive me for not taking this very matter-of-fact explanation entirely at face value, but I believe there’s more here than he’s letting on. On the album’s title track (the music video for which you can watch below), Broderick theorizes aloud, “Maybe you could make one big everything by combining everything.” A twee sentiment to be sure, but what better place to conduct such a kitchen sink experiment than the information buffet that is the World Wide Web?

When putting together the album’s climactic centerpiece, the eight-and-a-half minute “Awake,” Broderick collected eulogies to a recently deceased friend from across the internet, eventually crafted the results into a slow-building cacophony of clashing  sounds, words, and melodies. The song that emerges is a work of striking maturity and unrepentantly huge ambition.

Over at the web domain that gives the album its title, Broderick has released a new twenty-five minute video EP (which you can watch in its entirety at the top of this post). Featuring four of the album’s most intimate songs, the video EP keeps the camera close on Broderick as he plays piano, violin, and electric guitar. Highlights from the collection include a heartfelt rendition of Blue, a song originally written by Broderick’s father, and the absolutely stunning Trespassing, the most gorgeous song about a dead animal you’re likely to hear today (my advice – skip ahead to 11:30 and listen to this song first.)

http://www.itstartshear.com is available to stream in full, or buy via Hush Records. Below is the video for the album’s lead single and title track: