Bev – Expectations
This showcase opens with a new wave/punk cum folk-rock aesthetic. Lots of energy with melody, penetrating guitars & vocals soaked in The Pretenders-Robin Lane & Bette Bright colors. The vocals are slightly grungy with a steady garage rock visceral beat. I like it. The LP explores themes of what we think/want to happen versus what actually does happen. Societal pressures, local & global events, et al. Bev is based in Minneapolis & this was recorded at the Terrarium.
The LP features 10 Expectations (Drops Nov 6/Independent/29:27) produced by Niki Beverly (Bev) & Jacques Wait. Despite my description of new wave/punk & garage rock (which it is), the unit known as Bev manages to modernize their arrangements & performance & it somehow is coughed out — refreshed. The entire presentation was a high performance. Nothing’s shoddy in any way. This band can play.
Bev has individual moments with her own vocal approach touching down in Chrissie Hynde (the Pretenders), Robin Lane (& the Chartbusters), Bette Bright (Deaf School), & a smidgen of Katrina (& the Waves) territory. It’s an interesting mix that Bev has not only re-interpreted but reinvented. She has cool jets in her voice; the band plays with well-calibrated torque. Tight, yet at times loose, emblematic of how The Clash (“Train In Vain”) & the Dictators (“Stay With Me”) would play. The music is not slap-dash but arranged with a beautiful aggression (“Missing Parts”).
And it doesn’t let up. “My Body” is rock n’ roll with Ramones speed, short & sweet. Wonderful, sweat-glossed guitar notes like the ones that come with “Awkward,” are dressed up in denim threads & sneakers while Bev sings like she’s made up for the prom. It has a ’60s girl group angst in the notes à la The Shangri-Las & The Del-Rons. Yeah, I remember those girl groups with their leather-crusted jackets & scuffed go-go boots.
But just when you think they shot every musical bullet in their chambers, they spill “One Last Look Back,” one of the best tracks. Energy, waves of rhythm & a hard-shell musical splash with the drums up front riding the crest of the guitar wave. Superb.
They project their music in a thick, pop-punk, honey-dripping element similar to the Wild Stares (“Piece of the Picture”). When aggressive tunes have melody & the work can be realized & nurtured without being sanitized, that’s when the genre works best. If nothing else, Bev & her musicians put a fresh coat of varnish on the music. I thought it faded, but I was sitting here tapping my feet, rubbing my ass in the cushioned seat. I guess the music is…good.
4 sample songs are available on Bandcamp.
Highlights – “Soft T-Shirt,” “The Clown,” “Missing Parts,” “My Body,” “Awkward,” “One Last Look Back” & “Chicago.”
Musicians – Bev (vocals/guitar), Doc (lead guitars/piano), Bart Boutwell (bass), Dan Elston-Jones (drums/percussion).
Color image courtesy of Darin Kamnetz. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.bevmusic.com/