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Blag�ard
Blank Faced Clocks
Pig Zen�s Pace
2006
www.blagard.com

Blag’ard makes its home in the sludgy backwaters of indie rock, combining restrained powerchord progressions and layered vocals that foster a faint echo of glammy androgyny (at times reminiscent of Placebo’s Brian Molko when Blag’ard frontman Joe Taylor rips into his upper register).

The EP opens with the cascading existential refrains of “Monk,” where Taylor laments his position as “the loneliest man ever” by confiding dark secrets with the listener, explaining, “My libido’s the only one who cares.” “Losty” picks up the pace with Taylor’s ever-evolving hall-of-mirrors lyrical fumes spinning into a catchy explosion chorus, resulting in Blag’ard’s most carefree and enjoyable track. The frantic string-bending merry-go-round of “Peaches In Cream” and the whimpering muted chords of “Jenny G” keep Blank Faced Clocks from ever sounding like its following in its own footsteps exactly, but the album could have benefited from some studio tinkering, or at least a little variation in guitar tone.

While inspirations are sometimes mimicked (Meat Puppets, Wipers, Melvins, etc…), Blag’ard has delivered an interesting starting point that will hopefully fill out with more time and some tactfully developed creative experimentation.

Favorite Track: Track 2, "Losty”

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Christopher j Ewing is a writer and filmmaker living in San Francisco with a girl and a designer dog (Chihuahua vs. dachshund). He is in a band by himself and has a myspace account (www.myspace.com/slapbraceletskill) and a production company (www.wastepot.com) for freelance film and crit/journo work.

 
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