Piebald

Accidental Gentlemen (SideOneDummy)
by Ewan Wadharmi

Piebald has been around for awhile, but I’d always imagined it was porno featuring ska girls. (Are there ska girls? Are they hot?) Turns out they have a little bit of everything. ’80s rock riffs, Beatlesque harmonies, Dinasaur Jr. dissonance, jam band wanking, and slap-back beats. There are several songs with positive messages here, but Travis Shettel inexplicably treats them all with the same spittle and vessel-bursting screamatude, which is disconcerting. He has a unique voice with a lot of character, but it’s most versatile on the Kinks cover, “Strangers.” His own compositions are more limited in range and risk. It’s a tough listen, especially the serrated “Something Better To Do” with its intentionally off background screaming. “A Friend of Mine” is a cleverly written, syncopated pianopated angry version of The Craig Ferguson theme, but what’s with the twin guitar? Imagine Rage Against Ben Folds singing, “Running down the road trying to roosen my road/ is what might occur in Japan/ cause there’s no L in the language.” The rhythm section is fantastic, the guitar work is impressive, but wankish, as mentioned. Piebald wants you to do the math and show your work, and I’d rather figure out cryptic lyrics than grapple with the music.
(www.sideonedummy.com)