Tuesday 21 May
 
 
CD reviews

Various artists — Never Give Up: Celebrating 10 Years of The Postal Service

Few indie bands have had the impact on current music that The Postal Service has. Even fewer have done so with only one album.
05/15/2013 | Comments 0

Big Worm — Bench All-Stars

Fans of the comedy classic Friday may recognize the name Big Worm, but the Big Worm behind Bench All-Stars is rooted not in South Central L.A., but on the streets of Oklahoma City.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

The guys of Oklahoma City’s Code 22 seem like a likable group of fellas. Their latest release, Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!, is likable enough as well — so likable that on first listen, I took its clean, acoustic sound and clear, unstressed vocals as an alternative praise-and-worship band.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

It’s always refreshing to hear music that embraces its own eccentricity, yet presents it in an accessible and meek fashion. Eureeka — the Norman-based duo of Jordan Vargas and Devin Wahl — has tapped into this rarified air on its self-released EP, Polysynthetic Fields.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Tom Skinner — Tom Skinner

Sincerity is nearly dead in songwriting. The image of the earnest singer with eyes tightly shut and a crack in his voice as he plunges to emotional depths has become a joke.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

SXSW: Pretty Black Chains


Guitar and vocal heroics abound

By Stephen Carradini March 17th, 2011
IMG_2773
It's been a long few years for the guys in The Pretty Black Chains. After The Stock Market Crash broke up (TSMC is still emblazoned on at least one guitar case that I noticed), the guys formed TPBC. After finding some success with their new band, they decided to drastically retool their sound from pop-rock oriented tunes to Led Zep-era hard rock. They finally make it down to Austin to spread their new sound on the world, and their van breaks down. In Texas. 

But if all this chaos had them down, they didn't show it. Their riff-heavy, old-school hard rock set had people excited. Lead singer Kellen McGugan was enthusiastic as always, stalking around the stage before breaking into wild dance moves. The only time he shared vocal duties was when Jabee came to the stage, making his second cameo appearance in the day. The rapper threw down an electrifying rap on top of the rock'n'roll, and people responded to his cry of "Put your hands up!" The atmosphere was triumphant. 

From the vocal heroics to the guitar heroics, The Pretty Black Chains threw it down. 
 
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
 
 
 
Close
Close
Close