Black Mambas is a deceptive little package. With song titles like "I Heard That New Ashlee Simpson Record is Pretty Killer" and "Motley Crue, Probably Saved My Life", you might think you're looking at a joke album. That's not the case.
Then again, O Pioneers!!! are a deceptive little band. They are a two-piece, made up of Eric Solomen on vocals and guitar, and Jeff Groban (who actually is related to Josh Groban) pounding on the drums, yet they sound much bigger than a two-piece. Their recording somehow manages to be simultaneously lo-fi and complex-sounding, and while Josh screams more than he sings, he screams in a passionate way, not an annoying screamo kid way.
Hardcore Folk? Folksy Punk?
Their sound is hard to pin down, too. Picture old school hardcore played in a fast folksy style, and you've almost got it right. It's dense; like the Minutemen and Sonic Youth with a power-positive hardcore attitude and a heavy dose of twang and '50s-style rock and roll thrown in. Pretty complex sounds for a two-piece.
The result is great; even though you probably can't dance to it, Black Mambas is fun, fresh and easy on the ears, and it manages to avoid being either goofy or pretentious.
Solomen hoarsely belts out lyrics that have heart without being melodramatic. On "Remember When It Meant Something", he belts out "I'll play with my heart and scream out my thoughts," and you know that's exactly what he's doing. On "The Record Time", when he rejects praising the old school ("Build up legacies and they won't last"), intent instead creating new sounds ("Tell me about your history and let's make this go down in history"), you realize that's what O Pioneers!!! is really about – taking the sounds of what has happened before and warping them into something fresh and fun.
If you're a fan of old school hardcore, check out what O Pioneers!!! seem to be warping it into, and if you're fan of folksy punk, have a listen as well. This record is solid, and these guys clearly had a great time making it.
