| CD
Review
| The
Bravado
| Intimate
with Slaves (5-track EP)
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THE BRAVADO
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Intimate
with Slaves (5-track EP)
Independent
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Sitting
comfortably on the shelf next to The Black Keys is Ohio’s The Bravado,
a stripped down blues pop-rock duo. They serve up a pocketful of clever
lyrics, paste in a catchy blues riff and send you home with an
infectious melody. Together Seth Massing and Donny Monaco sculpt earthy
songs drenched in feedback and loaded with swagger. The EP contains five
tracks each with their own individual scratch of Delta mud and coated
with confidence and determination.
“My Parasites” sounds like an unearthed blues rocker from
Columbia’s 1930’s Robert Johnson archive. Massing’s hypnotic riff
buries it’s self under your skin like a good ‘ol mosquito bite while
Monaco’s vocal crackles from a low-fi amp singing “Ah, damn why
don’t you call/Why don’t you pick up your phone.” The same formula
is used in “Royal Flush” with equal potency and enriched by
blistering harmonica.
“Judas” recently won the boys 2nd place in a Cincinnati demo
contest. Dark, grinding and catchy as hell, it’s easy to see why the
song sparks such attention. “The Whip” mixes up the same pop sting
leaving a rash that’s slow to fade. Strange as it might seems Gino
Vannelli comes to mind when “Safest Place” oozes from the speakers.
Throbbing, lush and possessed by a sugar-sweet chorus that embraces the
devils own.
Review by Todd
Smith http://www.thecutting-edge.net/
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