Black Math Horseman “Wyllt” Teepee Records Sounds like: a gender-swapped Black Sabbath Grade: B+ The debut album “Wyllt” by Black Math Horseman is a progressive take on psychedelic hard rock that will at first seem nifty for fans and non-fans of the genre. The six tracks preserve that anachronistic, heavy metal sound of the late ‘80s with doom metal undertones and haunting vocals. But there is little to differentiate one song from the next and the album sadly falls flat with little replay value. It is almost as if the band tried so hard to blend the different genres it pays tribute to the fact that it couldn’t find a focal point. With a cursory inspection, tracks like “Tyrant” and “Torment of the Metals” have that droning, gospel-like quality of early Sabbath and abound with whammy, bar-heavy riffs. The voice of Sara Timms, cast from a distance with plenty of reverb, only bolsters the effect and makes the songs come full circle. But despite its classic prowess, the album fails to reach a worthy climax. The more upbeat tracks like “Deerslayer” and “Origin of Savagery” are too humdrum and lacking in technical diversity to be noteworthy. Timms’ voice lacks range, maintaining the same will-o’-the-wisp pitch throughout the entire album. It gets tiring rather quickly, and the songs begin to blend into one another, losing their immediacy from the onset. Despite its softer approach to metal, the album overall is still worth a listen if you’re looking for something less imposing as most modern metal bands. There are moments of ominous brilliance contained in the tracks, and anyone able to look past the general monotony, you will find a solid effort.
Mighty Tiger “Western Theater” Paper Garden Records Sounds like: Sufjan Stevens meets Rogue Wave Grade: B+
“Western Theater,” by the Seattle-based, indie-folk rock band Mighty Tiger, is an album you’re most likely to enjoy in the company of friends. It separates itself from scads of similar albums by adding an overall zest to its musicality, making it an absolutely charming first project. While it is shamelessly coy at parts, it’s also a lot of fun. “Rook to King” is the prototypical Mighty Tiger song: it sounds like it should be played during the montage of a cutesy, indie, romantic comedy flick as the protagonist discovers new love. Cuing into a sentimental acoustic guitar riff, it has a certain whimsical characteristic about it, with vocals done in chorus and a soothing rural tonality. At first, it seems so commonplace and generic, but it quickly grows on you — perhaps until you inadvertently find yourself humming along. This pattern holds true for other equally invigorating tracks like “The Most American Thing in America” and “33 1/3.” Some of the slower, schmaltzy songs like “Chibi Girl” and “Wide Awake” are hit-or-miss. They dedicate so much effort to preserving an almost dorky persona that it can come off as underplayed and downright lazy. In these instances, the chorus of vocals expresses less enthusiasm compared to some of the previous tracks. Switching between the two becomes almost jarring. Nonetheless, the band uses an idiosyncratic sense of variety that is praiseworthy in and of itself. This album is bold and optimistic, checkered with subtle nuances to make its own mark. While it may seem like any other band of its kind on the surface, it manages to be refreshingly stimulating. If nothing else, it makes for excellent traveling music.
Twin Tigers “Automatic” Old Flame Records Sounds like: the hungover lovechild of The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand Grade: C
Indie rock band Twin Tigers’ latest EP “Automatic” almost eludes a proper review because of its presentation. On the whole, it sounds like a feckless rough draft of greater things to come, containing a seemingly intentional off-key pitch and an inability to find consistency. “Automatic” tries to achieve a hard-edged, party-like messiness to it, but instead plays straight into an overall production that is discordant and unpleasant to the ear. In fact, the only track that feels as if it was thoroughly spot-checked is “If,” a comparatively melodic piece that seems out of place in the playlist — it’s much more coherent and easy to understand. The song evokes a synth-rock sensibility with its playfully infectious rhythm guitar and quotable, sing-along chorus. It progresses and relapses into a basic melody that is reminiscent of more recent Strokes. The other three songs have definite substance but lack punctuation, as if the band was at odds about how to find a suitable way from them to pan out. The track “Automatic” is an unappealing, unaware two-and-a-half-minute screech, and there is an evident inability to add variation where the song nearly reaches a high point. “Envy” and “Golden Daze” are glossier and sound smoother in terms of production, but the general structure is too jumbled and cacophonous to be enjoyable. Twin Tigers have yet to amass a substantial following, but “Automatic” is a good indication that there is a formative talent, even if it’s yet to be awakened and crafted.
