The Pack A.D. are Becky Black on guitar and vocals, and Maya Miller on drums, and they are based in Vancouver, Canada. Formed in 2006, they released their debut album, Tintype, on a smaller label and then signed to Mint Records for a wider release. The band crank out blues in a minimal style; drums, electric guitar, vocals and hardly any overdubs, cleanly recorded material that imitates old blues artists such as BB King, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, and the like. The band can sometimes bring out an intriguing side to the blues on Tintype, their minimal tautness is a binding decision that ties them down to a small scope of variation. Within that scope, any briefly implied depths or slight tweaks to the sound are much more pronounced than they might otherwise be. Look at ‘This Terror’, the guitar has a clattering, rattling, echo effect added to it, a lonely riff that takes on a surprising psychedelic tint, Black’s vocals have a choked, throaty nervousness, all of which generates a suspenseful pressure. The next time they do this is with ‘Bang’, the guitar progresses from swampy bayou to a clear tone then, after patiently playing out slow sorrowful blues, it reaches catharsis with an abrasive and loud finish. This time Black’s vocals are very restrained, muddied and down in the mix, with tantalizingly brief snatches of an introspective melodicism sung in a half-drunk, half-asleep drawl. Three short tracks, named ‘Hardtrack Saloon # 1, 2, 3’, act as interludes throughout Tintype, they very successfully recall early blues recordings, bad recording quality and ghostly static sway around a piano, these vocal-less excursions are a welcome break from the typical flow of the album.
Unfortunately, these are the few times the band actually sounds interesting, the rest of the album is filled with competent blues exercises. The songwriting is too unambitious, (‘All Damn Day Long’), there isn’t enough personality within to really make the album strike out on it’s own. Often the guitar riffs are staid and played without any grit or personality, (‘Pilot’s Blues’, ‘Snow’), and in the end the decision to stick with one guitar, or very few overdubs, harms the band’s creativity and attractiveness. The vocals could do with a bit more thought, often trying to reach a pitted scuzziness that does not completely match the style of voice, (‘What’s Up There’), and never exploring the interesting detours of style mentioned above. Obviously this duo has talent, has a love of the blues and has a starting block on which to build, they must build and progress if they want to make something successfully individual, otherwise it seems like they will continue to make competent and uninteresting blues.
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Links
The Pack A.D. [record label] [myspace]
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Might have to disagree with you on this one Simon! I rather enjoyed this. Sure, it could do with a little trim, but there’s an energy and pureness to it that really won me over.
That’s interesting, one of the major turn offs for me was that there felt like a distinct lack of energy on many of the tracks! Maybe we were receptible to different types of energy with this album?
Yeah, for sure! It was one of those albums that just clicked with me from the off. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn’t!
Yeah- im with rich- it is an early recording ( i think they had been around for two months when they put it out. as for length they told me they wanted to put down everything they liked that they had done, because they didnt know if they would get another chance…
it could do with being a 35 minute in and out record………..but having seen them live often they have the energy and capacity to make a crowds jaw drop….particularly beckys voice. And that was supporting folk bands…put them on a bill with Detroit Cobras or a ‘not the same old blues crap’ type night, and they would storm it.
Seriously, have another go with them simon…or wait untill the next record in august, when they will actually have a proper recording!
Well, you guys have gone and convinced me, I’ll try the debut some more and keep an eye out for their next one.