Sunday, May 03, 2009
A+E, Music, Reviews

Pistolero

“WARFACE”  (SELF-RELEASED)

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to pigeonhole Atlanta’s Pistolero—which is clearly the band’s intention. On its new album, the quartet shifts from bleary indie post-folk to Velvet Underground-inspired NYC pre-punk to garage pop and even banjo-enhanced country/roots music, all within about a half-hour of self-composed material.

   Despite its Spaghetti Western-influenced name, the only aspect of the group’s music that references the movies is its generally bleak, black-and-white noir sound. Gruffly strummed acoustic guitars lead the charge, with grungier guitars occasionally laid on top and sad-sack vocals up front. No matter how jaunty the tune, such as the boppy “Yellow House,” there’s an undertone of desperation underlying nearly everything here, giving the album a dark, somewhat depressing tone.

    The hot pink flowers laid starkly against a black background on the cover encapsulate the audio contents. These are songs usually about lost people trying to find their way back or attempting to reconnect with a loved one or society in general. The cracked despair in frontman/principal songwriter Corey Pallon’s vocals when he groans “please be mine” on “Cuttin In (Eva’s Last Dance)” (none of the title’s words appear in the song’s lyrics) contrasts with the more melodic, Byrds-ian guitar in the break.

    After four years, a few previous albums, some EPs and even a DVD, Pistolero remains a challenging and unpredictable listen that bears intriguing fruit, if you stick with its lo-fi brand of smart, rather downbeat and idiosyncratic music. 2.5 STARS—Hal Horowitz