Black Pussy ‘Magic Mustache’ CD/LP/DD 2015
Having the word “pussy” in your band name is commitment. Here in the “United States of Prude,” it’ll get your record banned from certain retail giants. You’ll also have to constantly deal with censorship in every angle of promotion, from concert posters and radio advertising, to the local promotor who’s ok with beating his wife and ripping off the kids, but won’t have the word “pussy” displayed on his marquee because, by God, he’s a good, Christian man. Hell, just seeing the edit of “p***y” makes the real rock ‘n’ roller roll his rock ‘n’ roller eyes. A true pain in the ass. I’m sure when the fellas in the band read this, they will roll THEIR eyes that I mentioned the name issue first, but that’s the sort of thing that happens when your name is Black Pussy.
BUT, the good news for the fans is, seeing that word in a band name is a pretty accurate rock ‘n’ roll barometer. Alabama Thunder Pussy, Nashville Pussy, and Pussy Galore all do what they do well. Throw “Black” in front of it, and we know it’s a sure winner. Black Pussy is no different. We’re looking at big, heavy-as-hell, hard rock that’s sounds like Kyuss and Big Black era-Orange Goblin. Let’s dig in.
Magic Mustache starts off with Let’s Start A War. This is a total rocker and a great choice to blast off the record. We’re treated to some nice cosmic, mumbo-jumbo, before the radness kicks in; big league riffs complete with desert rock vibes and phasers. Into Your Cosmic has a Monster Magnet bag going with a hypnotic groove and wah-wah leads draped all over the riff. Apparently, when the band takes the stage, it’s with only vintage Sunn gear (and lots of it!) and the aesthetic would certainly match the sound. Giant, black amps and cabs with shimmering, silver grill cloth, thus making the stage look like a NASA command center. Retro sci-fi for sure.
Happy sounds like Homme and the fellas in Queens, with a metronomic groove and sunken in lead vocals. A killer guitar break, leads to a trippy, effects-laden guitar solo before taking us home. Although I don’t particularly care for QOTSA, this is my favorite track on the record. It would’ve sat well on Nebula’s Charged album with its repetitive drum fills and “I-know-exactly-where-this-is-going” song structure.
At this point, if I was the fat-ass, golden-eared, record executive, sitting atop my crumbling infrastructure, I’d push For The Sake Of Argument as the lead single for FM radio. A fresh sounding, bouncing rhythm with good guitar melody, I could see this sort of thing being a hit in ’94. Don’t misread that as a dig, it’s just, as astonishing as it is to think, when radio was a little more diverse in its rock music. I mean, who doesn’t listen to an Elastica record now and think, “How in the hell did this go gold?” For The Sake Of Argument is hard enough for the rockers, but poppy enough for the girls. Like Def Leppard. Only, unlike Def Lep, this isn’t shit.
Farrah Fawcett reminds of the Cars and I’m not sure why, but it does. It’s a road tale of sorts and has some keys on its, hooky, take-off chorus. This tune is seamlessly blended right into Butterfly, which presents more rock and some shred-tastic guitar solos at the end of the track. Even though the tones and rhythms are heavy, I still get this Captain Beyond, Mahogany Rush vibe from the record. Black Pussy doesn’t necessarily SOUND like those bands, they’re louder than those guys ever got, but it’s well-crafted and definitely fixes it’s eyes skyward like those classics.
The epic closer, Magic Mustache, is an extended jam of pentatonic-soloing and spacey goodness. It also sports a Wyndorf-inspired line “Wake up baby, you’re on the edge of forever…” and if it were in fact, Wyndorf singing the line, it would crush way more. The vocals are very multi-tracked and sunken in the mix to the point they become more like another instrument and less like a voice. For me, this loses a lot of potential attitude and balls. This isn’t a dangerous record, it’s a very planned and well executed space rock blast that hits all the key checks of the genres and the punk in me would’ve liked to see a tad more grit.
Black Pussy’s record Magic Mustache, it’s 70’s heavy alright, but think less muscle car and more rocket ship.
Label: Made In China Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter
Scribed by: Drew Fulton