Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Blues-based duo, two girls, guitar and drums? An uber-hipster album title like Funeral Mixtape? It’s going to be kooky, knowingly ironic and just retro enough for the cool kids to click with, yeah? Wrong. The Pack A.D. invert the hipster template by going for authentic substance over fashionable surface, and by hell it sounds good.
It’s the blues, for sure, but The Pack A.D. aren’t taking the Jack’n'Meg approach of bending the form to fit the times. Quite the opposite - Funeral Mixtape takes the times and bends them to fit the form, which is rooted deep in the sounds of the classic blues guitarists, taking only the best of the more recent innovations and using them sparingly to bring life to the tracks.
And it’s a moody, emotive and genuine life, too. Maya Miller batters out strong sparse rhythms, leaving plenty of room for Becky Black’s guitar to twang and moan and swing alongside. There’s no rockist fretwank on Funeral Mixtape; Black keeps the guitar work simple, but the songs are anything but, exploring the possibilities of simple hooks and subtle changes of pace. The Pack A.D. sound huge, precise yet human - all the more impressive, then, that these tracks were recording the old-fashioned way, straight to tape from the studio floor: no ProTools, no overdubs, no glossy frills and unnecessary polish. It’s a raw, visceral sound, and absolutely captivating.
Becky Black’s vocals are the icing on The Pack A.D.’s cake. She has a range and power that puts pop princesses and gruff rock groaners to shame, from intimate whispers to full-on throaty howls. Remember how Linda “4 Non Blondes” Perry sounded in the days before she became a producer and songwriter? Black sounds like that, just with less pretence and more Janis Joplin, every word loaded with a heart-felt intensity and commitment that makes Funeral Mixtape a compelling listen.
It definitely helps that The Pack A.D.’s songs match their sonic style so well. “Don’t Have To Like You” sees Black making a stand for a rough and ready feminism, listing all the reasons for which she isn’t obliged to put up with your dumb machismo or hard-luck stories; “Oh Be Joyful” lumbers and stomps like a New Orleans funeral march, defiant, tear-stained and beautiful; “Shiny Things” has a queasily surreal edge to its sliding guitar arpeggios and dark imagery; the isolationist romance of “Underground” shows up saccharine love songs for the lies they really are. There isn’t a dud track on the album, and no two sound the same.
The beauty of classic forms like the blues is that they have a timeless quality to them. While the current musical climate may be especially friendly to blues-retro, The Pack A.D.’s material will still sound good when fashion has moved on. Funeral Mixtape is a must-hear for listeners who put song before style.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: blues, blues-rock, Funeral Mixtape, rock, The Pack A.D.
