Wednesday, August 25, 2010

When most people think of Austin instrumental groups they imagine 12 minute epic jams with huge crescendos - all set to a high school football highlight reel.  And let’s not forget the fireworks going off (yeah, you know what band I’m talkin’ about).  Well, Broke Beads ain’t that band.  They’re grown up, but not necessarily mature, skater punks that play smart groove infused psychedelic rock.  It’s music the stoners, jocks, and dweebs can all agree upon.

The first release from the band is Wave High, a six track LP now out on Bombay Cove Records.  Judging by the album’s cover art, Napoleon Dynamite-esque drawings of dragons and a man-baby jumping over an explosion of fire, the band doesn’t take itself too seriously.  However, that doesn’t mean the music itself should be taken lightly.   The songs are melodic yet possess clever shifts in tone and intensity.

Listening to Wave High, I was reminded of the first album from one of my all-time favorite bands, ! by The Dismemberment Plan.  Their early stuff had more showmanship than musicianship and not all the songs were winners.  Yet the album demonstrated the group had stumbled onto something unique and the guys had serious potential.  Broke Beads show similar promise and I look forward to hearing more of their songs.

There's a chance my comparison of Broke Beads and The Dismemberment Plan totally off, but you'll have to judge for yourself.  Here are two tracks from each band’s debut album.  They have different styles, but they both have killer grooves and incredible rhythm - the kind of songs you keep on repeat.

:Broke Beads - Hired Goons:

:The Dismemberment Plan - Rusty:

:Broke Beads - Skate Higher:

:The Dismemberment Plan - Ok Jokes Over:

- Dan Corbin -



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