Brian DeRemer has had quite a year. Back in December 2010, City Pages reported on the decidedly grinch-like Christmas Eve break-in of Eric Lovold’s home studio, which housed various pieces of expensive equipment, instruments, and technology — not the least of which was the hard drive holding the only copy of DeRemer’s recordings for his debut solo album. For DeRemer, the burglary meant more than material costs — it was also the steely loss of valuable time spent away from family on a powerfully personal project. There was never any doubt, though, on DeRemer’s part: This album was his baby, and he would remake it, whatever it took. Fourteen months later, DeRemer can stand confidently, a recovered man, holding Dusty Songs for Children of The Modern Age like the golden miracle material it is.People always want to put musicians in careful boxes with lots of hyphenated names to demonstrate their multi-genre style, and in that fashion, you could probably call DeRemer an indie folk-rock singer-songwriter. If you were boring, and didn’t really listen to his music, that is. Simply put, DeRemer is in a category all his own.Dusty Songs for Children of The Modern Age is a plethora of sonic layers. DeRemer has a careful voice, as soothing as it is scratchy, and the instrumentation and production of the album builds around the natural despondency that settles into the verses. Dusty Songs is atmospheric. From the opening “Young Love Is Getting Old,” a deceptively cheerful song where DeRemer casts the soft reality of love, to the haunting and deeply personal “The Tunnel,” DeRemer puts the listener in his world. All the common themes make roll call in the album — love and loss and moving on and growing up — but DeRemer manages to give emotional writing a new artistry.Sometimes good things are born out of ugly circumstances. After the burglary, DeRemer found support in the local music community, full of people who were ready and eager to help DeRemer piece things back together.“For the first stage of the new — second — record, we were fortunate enough to get into two of the premier studio rooms in the Twin Cities, the Pearl and Mastermix,” says DeRemer, explaining the changes in the re-recorded album. “This changed the whole dynamic and approach of the new record. We had more full, ambient sounds for drums and acoustic guitars. We were recording at a higher sample rate, and we had time to think about details such as microphone placement and instrumentation…”“Truth is, the whole record is completely different and is sonically more layered than the stolen album was,” he continues emphatically. “I think the biggest difference is the quality of performances and production. When we did the first record, most of the musicians had just a few weeks to create their parts based on the bare-bones demos I emailed them. Since the drummer [Mark Lynch, Austin,Texas] and the keyboardist [Tim Greenwood, Nashville, Tennessee] had limited time here in Minneapolis in the studio, we recorded every idea we had. We then distilled those ideas down as we reached the end of tracking the first record. The second time around, these guys nailed it.”DeRemer has a way of being confident and humble at the same time. The “second” album has only gotten stronger, but part of the appeal in it is DeRemer’s strong desire to simply share what is such an immense part of him.“[The album] still feels fresh and “debut-ish” to me,” admits DeRemer. “I’d say the best thing is just feeling the support of my band-mates and close friends. They totally had my back for both versions of the record, and helped me make a record I’m extremely proud of.”With this belated debut finally about to be realized, I ask Brian about what his future plans might be — next steps, so to speak, and how he felt about touring.“To be honest, I’ve already started writing for my next project, and I know the direction I’m going to take, but that’s top secret!” he exclaims. “I think right now, I want to give this record the time it needs to be heard. I’m already getting some college radio play, and I’m hoping to gain a larger following here locally as well… I really want to tour, and that’s the dream of every musician. I’d love to go out on the road, and I think my music will play well nationally. That being said, I feel I have things to prove here locally. The scene here is incredibly competitive, and I’d like to take the time to see how I measure up.Whatever DeRemer hopes to prove on the local scene, he is well on his way. Even if it weren’t filled with beautifully composed songs bent on drawing the listener close, Dusty Songs makes quite a statement — just for existing, really. DeRemer have every reason to proud of what he’s managed to accomplish.“[Releasing the album] means everything. It means the world to me,” he says. “This record has been a labor of love, and I’m so proud of the results. I’ve had so many great musicians working with me, and an awesome co-producer in Eric Lovold. I’m lucky to have had so many great people supporting me and encouraging my efforts. This is the best thing I’ve ever done, my most complete work, hands down.”You can witness first-hand the hard work that yields results for yourself Friday, February 10, at the Turf Club, for the Dusty Songs for Children of The Modern Age CD Release Show. Joining DeRemer will be Romantica, Western Fifth, and Pistol Whipping Party Penguins. DeRemer’s band will be composed of Lynch and Greenwood, both of whom are flying in for the release show, and Dusty Songs co-producer Eric Lovold on keyboard and guitar. You don’t want to miss this.