About the West is a punk rock record by all means. It blends a few different aspects of the scene nationwide, whether it is the Bay Area bands of the 1990’s (Jawbreaker, Samiam) or the abrasive Gainesville royals, Hot Water Music. Black for a Second (who the hell thought of that name) has a singer who recognizes the value of your band not sounding like budding teens striking puberty. A little rasp is a good thing, however, too much will sink the ship. Joe Jordan has made it clear he can hold a note and put out a catchy hook, like Schwarzenbach during the Unfun era of pop-punk legends Jawbreaker. The songs are tight, no doubt about it. Between the near perfect drum work and fairly creative lead guitar the band has displayed knowledge of how to craft an engaging rock song. The rhythm section is tight and drives tracks like “Trout” in an incredible way, I can’t emphasize enough how enthralling the pulse to that song is. It strikes initially as being pure dark comedy, with lyrics about a “rainbow fish and lonely bass” what else could it be? But by time you reach “Team Slayer” you may really start to wonder what Black for a Second’s affinity for fish is. I am still scratching my head over why two songs in a row have so much to do with our friends under the sea.

Now it’s time to talk about what makes Black for a Second stand out to any new listener, it’s the singer’s ability to grab your attention and then promptly leaves you frustrated. The beauty of early Jawbreaker is the earnest vocals, that sincere emotional “crunch” Schwarzenbach had lost by time Dear You came around in 1995. Conventionally a singer like Tim Armstrong is awful…god awful, no one could hear Rancid and say “Wow, what a killer set of pipes that guy has,” but it is honest and you simply feel it. Black for a Second feels forced, almost calculated to be a certain way, which runs contrary to the notion of passionate vocal expression and performance.

Their songs have true vision and the writing is strong, so let it be known that Black for a Second has already tackled a problem that dogs freshman releases. “Manuel” is a steady and uplifting punk tune, and “Port” even further solidifies how creative the writing can be throughout About the West. To take some momentary focus off of the vocalist, the guitars and bass could stand to think about their distortion settings and how to create a cohesive wall of sound to match Jordan’s vocal style (if that IS truly his style). British legends Leatherface melded their singer with instrumentation that wrapped itself around the vocals, buffering the raw vocal bravura with a warm static that united the mix. If Black for a Second went for an incredibly clean and well produced sound, they got their money’s worth. If Black for a Second wanted production that complimented their well-crafted songs, they were robbed.

Black for a Second seems to be in the process of discovering what kind of 90’s punk band they are trying to emulate, because it cannot be understated how many sects there were. A song like “Dickie” is a painful experience to hear when you compare it to the later “Bump Me”, which highlights the conflict between their mediocre interpretation of country-punk present on the album…and the rather exceptional 90’s emo roots that are clawing to see the light of day. Black for a Second, even with their incredibly unfortunate name and over-production, has something powerful within them that god-willing will emerge. My foot tapped, my head bobbed (extra hard on “Trout”) and I silently nodded my approval. They avoided the creeping menace of cheap pop-punk breakdowns and fluff, but slipped into the territory of bar rock. It’s not a long hike back for the boys from St. Louis, I think they’ll survive.

Check out the stream and buy the album from Throwing Things Records on CDBaby below

About The West

 

 

Buy Now

 

 

onTheWeb: Black For A Second | Throwing Things Records

Follow: @throwthingsrecs

Popularity: 8%