Black Pistol Fire is a canadian duo that's spent time in Toronto and Austin, TX. They released Hush or Howl this week, following 2012's Big Beat 59 and their 2011 self-titled debut. Listen to the official album stream above, via Spotify. Highly recommended if you like rootsy rock with an edge.
You can hear a lot of The White Stripes in their playing. There's crushing guitars and drums, and an understanding of tradition without imitating it. They also list CCR and Clutch as influences, which pretty well represents their range from folksy to raucous rock and roll. Really raw, emotional recordings. You have to wonder whether "Honeydripper" is a tribute to another hard bluesy Austin rock band, Black Joe Lewis and The Honeydrippers.
When Jack White was going through a divorce, his wife claimed that he thought Dan Auerbach was an "asshole" for stealing his style and moving to Nashville. As more rock duos like this emerge, maybe we should consider them a new wave of blues rock instead of simply copy-cats. Certainly the idea of a power duo was first mastered by The White Stripes, but everyone in music is taking influences from from someone else along the line. If you listen, you can hear that Black Pistol Fire has a character of their own which is overall pretty polished and yet rough in just the right areas. The biggest question is how original and exciting they can be, to differentiate themselves from the pack.
Order the album on CD and vinyl through their label, Modern Outsider.
Black Pistol Fire Hush or Howl Tracklist:
01. Alabama Coldcock
02. Dimestore Heartthrob
03. Baby Ruthless
04. Your Turn To Cry
05. Hipster Shakes
06. Run Rabbit Run
07. Honeydripper
08. Blue Eye Commotion
09. Hush
10. Show Pony
11. Grease My Wheel
