CD Odyssey Disc 1097: The Pack A.D.

I had to do an emergency disc swap this weekend. I had rolled my next album (Hem’s “Rabbit Songs”) without remembering that I was going to see the Pack A.D. on Saturday and hadn’t given their new album a full listen yet. Concerts are way more fun when you familiarize yourself with the album the band is touring on. After all, they’re going to play a bunch of those songs live and just yelling “Freebird!” all night long and hoping for the best ain’t gonna alter the setlist.

With this in mind, I quickly switched to the Pack A.D. (via Rule #5) and gave it most of my spare listening time for the rest of the weekend. So here’s the resulting review and below that are my thoughts on the live performance that inspired the shift.

Disc 1097 is… Dollhouse

Artist: The Pack A.D.

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? Becky Black and Maya Miller recline in a life-sized dollhouse. Of the two, Maya seems to be handling it better, passing the time reading. Becky looks positively deranged. Maybe she’s realized that with one whole wall missing it is going to be impossible to heat the place come winter.

How I Came To Know It: This is just the latest Pack A.D. album. I like them quite a bit, so I bought it on spec when it came out.

How It Stacks Up:  I now have five Pack A.D. albums. Of those, I must put “Dollhouse” at fifth. I still like it, but I like the other four a bit more.

Ratings: 3 stars

On “Dollhouse” the Pack A.D. delivers their signature sound of garage rock riffs, and mix in a bit of ambient fuzz pop for good measure. The record doesn’t have the same furious intensity of some of their previous albums, and is over a little too soon, but it’s still a solid entry in the discography of a band that deserves more commercial success than they have so far achieved.

The Pack A.D. are the queens of reverb guitar, and at their best when they chug away with blues tinged crunch. “Dollhouse” features a couple of good ones with “Woke Up Weird” and the title track punching you between the eyes early on the record. On both songs Becky Black’s guitar sounds so thick it feels like you could pave a highway with it. Drummer Maya Miller hits with a dull echoing thud that is the perfect accompaniment to such distortion excess.

These are two of the album’s first three songs and unfortunately “Dollhouse” doesn’t manage the same intensity throughout. Part of this is the band’s obvious interest in exploring pop elements that had me thinking of the Cure and other bands that were enjoyed by those who liked to wear black in the eighties. The best of these is “Thomas Hardy” which takes on a natural grimness by virtue of its depressing 19^th century namesake, and then further underscores that grimness with lines like:

“You look like death

You’re my best friend”

“Thomas Hardy” is a lot rougher around the edges than any Cure song, however (these gals are rock musicians, not pop musicians) and at times reminded me favourably of Concrete Blonde or Sleater Kinney with its punk-tinged intensity.

The final song “I Tried” is a slow and thoughtful pop song about heartache that could have fallen out of the early sixties if it weren’t for all that guitar crunch. Black’s vocals, which are so often fierce and punked out, are positively sweet here and the song feels like a close-hold slow dance at the end of an evening. Mind you, it’s a dance that’s going to end with one partner telling the other it’s over. So bittersweet, but sweet nonetheless.

While I liked hearing all these influences reimagined into the Pack A.D.’s brand of garage rock, the initial driving energy of the record gave me an appetite for a certain level of oomph that the rest of the record didn’t fully sustain. If I owned this on vinyl (or wasn’t so fiercely committed to Rule #3 (see sidebar) this album would likely end up as a bit of a one-sider.

The record is incredibly short (only nine songs and 28 minutes total) so it doesn’t give itself a chance to make a more lasting impression, but at least it doesn’t have any clunkers in those 28 minutes. It is a solid entry into the musical catalogue of two talented women who refuse to be pigeonholed into any single style.

Best tracks: Woke Up Weird, Dollhouse, Thomas Hardy

The Concert – January 27, 2018 at the Upstairs Cabaret, Victoria

I had seen the Pack A.D. in November 2016 so I had high expectations going in, even more so because the Upstairs Cabaret (formerly Harpo’s) is one of my favourite places to see live music (and in my youth, to dance and meet women). We collected up a half dozen music lovin’ friends and after a quick bite to eat at the nearby Garrick’s Head pub, headed over to find prime seating/viewing territory.

Unfortunately, Upstairs has changed a lot in recent years, and most of those changes seem focused on removing good seats and sightlines for live shows. There were three giant liquor stations around the room and a massive DJ Pedestal in the middle, all of which contributed to less places to stand.

Still, it would take a lot to knock all the charm out of this particular little live venue. Upstairs has a nice high ceiling and well-situated stage that gives you pretty good viewing even if the seating is no longer the greatest. Also, they still have the smoke machines I remember from my dancing days, which brought back pleasant memories.

The Poor Choices

The first of two opening acts were the Poor Choices, an all-woman punk/garage band from right here in Victoria. Tonight they had a guy on the drums because their drummer had just given birth, which as an excuse to miss a gig, ranks pretty high. In her place was a dude in a KISS T-shirt who had just learned their set in the last week or two. He basically kept time and where something more complicated was called for he wisely stayed chill instead of making a mistake.

The star of the band was the singer/guitarist who not only has a great stage presence but played well and has a brassy vibrato vocal that reminded me of Sleater Kinney in a good way. The only mistake they made was not announcing their name to the audience. No one is going to download your music from bandcamp if they don’t know who you are! In the end, my buddy Casey went and asked for their name, but they didn’t have any merch for sale so don’t look for a review anytime soon.

The Helletones

The next opener was the Helletones. I had seen the Helletones once before, as the opening act for Creepshow last November and I remembered them favourably. At that show they were all dressed up in suits but here they went for a punk vibe more suitable to the bands around them. They played great and were very tight. Much love to the drummer in particular, who has mad skills.

Another cool fact about the Helletones: they are basically a classic four-piece lineup (singer/guitar, lead guitar, drums, bass) with a trombonist thrown into the mix. This lends a very cool vibe to their sound, as the trombone provides interesting flourishes at the low end of the mix. It really works. I imagined a brighter world where one day trombones replace all those bad sax solos in rock and roll songs.

The Pack A.D.

The Pack A.D. then took the stage. Drummer Maya Miller does the small talk and crowd engagement, and guitarist/vocalist sticks mainly to singing and playing.

The band was touring their new album (reviewed above) and managed to work well over half the new songs into the set list, including all three of my favourites (noted above). I like a mix of old favourites, deep cuts and new material and the Pack A.D. found a good balance, although maybe a bit light on the deep cuts this time.

For just two people it is incredible how much air they move, and the show was energetic and powerful. When they bear down on those bluesy guitar riffs it feels natural and smooth, but also aggressive as hell.

The crowd was mostly well-behaved. The area in front of the stage looked like a little crazy from a distance, with much random fist pumping and the waving of devil horns. However those of us who braved the area said it was a positive energy up close, with everyone respectful of each other’s space, within the context of being at a rock concert. Fun audience fact: Upstairs ends their live shows at eleven, at which time all the live music lovers file out of the building and a bunch of dolled up club goers file in. The coat check looks like a shift change.

Back to the show, and a quick shout out to whoever was rocking the sound board, because all three bands had amazing sound. Loud enough to know you were at a rock concert, but not so loud as to bounce it off the walls, with a great mix of mid-range and bass to keep the ear interested. Kudos!  

A very cool thing happened that I hope catches on with other bands; Maya Miller called out the silliness of the false encore. As they neared the end of the show she said “we’ve got two more songs for you, followed by a ruse, followed by two more songs.” During “the ruse” the band didn’t even leave the stage, but instead did expressions of mock surprise that the crowd wanted more. Encores have become a joke where the band forces you to yell, all the while knowing they are coming back regardless of how long or loud you do it. This was a fun way to keep the tradition, but lose the bullshit.

Overall, I liked this performance more than the November 2016 one, partly because it was a more intimate setting, partly because of the sound mixing and partly because Miller and Black were in top form. I’ll definitely go see them again!

CD Odyssey Disc 991: The Pack A.D.

After two disappointing reviews in a row, I’ve finally broken my losing streak.

Disc 991 is…Funeral Mixtape

Artist: The Pack A.D.

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? Pack A.D. band mates Maya Miller and Becky Black relax in a graveyard, no doubt enjoying the titular funeral mixtape on that ghetto blaster sitting between them. I’ve got a bit of skill myself at making mixtapes, and this cover (and album title) inspires me to make one for my funeral. My funeral mixtape would include Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” Stan Rogers’ “Barrett’s Privateer’s” and Crash Test Dummies’ “At My Funeral.” I haven’t thought much beyond those three songs.

How I Came To Know It: Last fall my friend Nick asked if I was interested in going to see the Pack A.D. in concert. I didn’t know who the Pack A.D. were so I checked them out on Youtube and liked what I heard. I mean I really liked what I heard. Over the next three weeks I bought three of their albums. “Funeral Mixtape” was one of them.

You’ll be glad to know this album is available on both compact disc and vinyl. I have no idea if it is available on cassette tape and frankly, I don’t understand the recent fascination with that format. Take it from a guy with some experience in this matter, hipsters: cassette tapes suck.

How It Stacks Up:  I now have four Pack A.D. albums (I picked up the fourth from the merch table at the show in November). Of those four I put “Funeral Mixtape” in at third best. I like it a lot, it is just I like the two in front of it more.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Funeral Mixtape” is from early in the Pack A.D.’s career, but it already shows the band’s brilliance. Their mix of blues riffs and garage rock is well blended and although they are only a duo they make enough sound to wake the dead. So, you know, don’t have them play at a funeral; when people come back that way they come back…wrong.

If you are already living however, this music is a balm for any ennui or listlessness you may be experiencing. Rarely does rock and roll achieve this level of raw energy in the studio. Pack A.D. play with an enthusiasm you’d expect to only feel bouncing around in a mosh pit at one of their concerts (which I don’t recommend unless you are a hardy soul).

These songs have a more stripped down production than later albums that leans more heavily on traditional blues riffs than later records. Despite this, while the music is deferential to what came before, it never feels derivative. They know how to cool it in one portion of a song to let Becky Black’s grimy blues vocal stand out stark and alone, and then in the next bar leap into a furious clash of reverb guitar and high-hat heavy drum beats. Indie music could learn a lot from these women on how to generate restless energy in a clash of sound without losing the melody in the process. This stuff feels raw, but it never loses direction, and that’s important if you want a song and not just a bunch of noise.

Overall I liked the first half of the album slightly more, as it does more of what I’ve just described, whereas the second half is a bit more traditionally blues dressed up in garage rock clothes.

The album features a number of songs about the awkwardness of human communication. “Don’t Have To” is a great song that posits that if people do things you don’t like, then there isn’t some law where you have to pretend to like them. Of course in the real world there are times when compassion and understanding is called for, but this is rock and roll, where we can temporarily shed our social niceties and shout at some folks.

“Making Gestures” has Black at her vocal best, sounding like part spoken word poet, part drunk as she rambles away about anxiety and the complexities of communicating with other people. If you need an outlet (and don’t want to actually shout at anyone), these songs are both solid therapy.

“Shiny Things” starts off about watching a bird picking at something that has caught it’s attention, and ends with people rubbernecking a murder in the streets; a reminder that we are all a bit like birds, drawn to the peculiar and the grotesque like a bird to a shiny thing. Like a lot of Pack A.D.’s work, it seems on the surface to just be guitar-driven rock power, but under that layer there are lyrics that are slyly insightful.

While the more straightforward blues numbers are generally the weaker tracks for me, the exception is “Wolves and Werewolves.” Like when Creedence Clearwater Revival or the Rolling Stones does a classic blues cover so well it feels like their own, you can’t help but love it, “Wolves and Werewolves” feels immediately timeless. In fact, the Pack A.D. has a leg up on those rock legends in that they actually wrote the song.

“Funeral Mixtape” leaves little to quibble about, although I will point out that the song “Oh Be Joyful” would be better titled “O Be Joyful.” That is unless the band is just off-handedly reminding us as we go out the door to be joyful, in the same way you might ask someone to pick up a carton of milk while they’re at the store.

When that’s the best quibble you’ve got, though, you’ve got a good album on your hands.

Best tracks: Don’t Have To, Making Gestures, Shiny Things, Oh Be Joyful (sic), Wolves and Werewolves 

CD Odyssey Disc 941: The Pack AD

Greetings again, gentle readers. Apologies for the long delay in posting a review – I have been busy grokking the Vancouver rock band “The Pack A.D.” in preparation for seeing them live last night.

But your wait was not in vain! Below is a review of their latest album and following that a review of their concert.

Disc 941 is….Positive Thinking

Artist: The Pack A.D.

Year of Release: 2016

What’s up with the Cover? This is your brain. This is your brain on fruit loops. Any questions?

Despite this being drawn by guitarist (and rock hottie) Becky Black I can’t bring myself to give this cover a thumbs up. Fortunately, that’s been taken care of.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Nick heard the Pack A.D. were playing a show in town and was interested in checking them out. I’d never heard of the Pack A.D. so before I committed to going to see them live I went on Youtube to check them out. I liked what I heard.

How It Stacks Up:  I have bought three Pack A.D. albums in the three weeks since I found out they existed (what? I like them!). The danger of getting a bunch of albums by the same artist at once is they tend to blend together in your mind, but it also lets you appreciate a band’s growth over time. Both happened with the Pack A.D. I have a hard time picking a favourite, so for now I’ll leave myself room to change my mind and put the amazing “Positive Thinking” in second.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Positive Thinking” shows the continuing evolution of the Pack A.D.’s sound, while not losing the restless energy that is such a big part of what makes this band great.

As ever the band generates a lot of sound and fury despite just having two members: guitarist/vocalist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller. Because there is just two of them there is a heavy temptation to compare them with the White Stripes, and there are definitely similarities. The Pack A.D. has the same raw lo-fi crunch and like the Stripes they are heavily influenced by the blues.

However, on “Positive Thinking” the band continues the evolution of their sound begun on 2014’s “Do Not Engage,” backing away from the blues in favour of a thick guitar sound and vocals that incorporate a softer vocal style from Black and even a bit of light harmony. The musical arrangements have a surfer groove that evokes thoughts of the ocean and later Pearl Jam. “Sorrow” in particular sounds like it could be added to either “Yield” or “Riot Act” and fit right in.

All of this is a good thing. I can get the blues anywhere, but watching a band incorporate multiple influences and grow into something uniquely their own is far more rewarding.

The album starts with the crowd pleaser, “So What,” which has the band’s signature guitar crunch, with lots of sparse and stripped down production to let all the carefully structured syncopation lubricate your lower spine and lizard brain. Black’s vocals on the song nicely straddle a Patti Smith-like growl and a more ethereal head voice. “Yes I Know” follows this up and digs its heels in with a stronger blues growl, as if the Pack is reminding you that they are still badass.

The next song, “Teenage Crime,” has a bit too much banging and crashing without purpose but the guitar riff and Black’s vocals are so awesome you forgive a little excess occurring in the song’s margins.

This is a good time to note that “Positive Thinking” is more about the sound and melody than specific lyrics, but underneath all that power and woo-ooo-ooing there are some thoughtful lines, which is a nice discovery as I dug in more deeply on repeat listens. “Teenage Crime” begins:

“I was feeling kinda romantic

It’s hard to explain

Coulda been the Bauhaus

Coulda been the rain.

Burned a dark ritual

A real creepy effigy

Just so I could say

I know what you mean.”

Then the band takes a hard left with “Anyway,” which despite all the guitar shows the band’s softer side, with a melody that floats along like sad eighties Goth and prominent vampire metaphors (the previous song references Bauhaus so we should not be surprised at this point).

The strong opening to the album makes it hard for the second half to hold up the same consistent standard, but the songs that fill the back of the order aren’t bad; they’re just not as good as the record’s start. Standouts on “side two” include the aforementioned “Sorrow,” and “Error” which has a strong vocal that shows off the sweeter side of Black’s voice.

“Positive Thinking” is a solid entry in the Pack A.D.’s discography and shows that six albums and almost ten years into their career they are still developing and growing as a band. This record is just weeks old, but I’m already excited about what they are going to do next.

Best tracks: So What, Yes I Know, Teenage Crime, Anyway, Sorrow, Error

The Concert: Friday, November 25 at Sugar Nightclub, Victoria

My concert going experience got off to a strange start because we had to first bid farewell to a friend moving out of town and that event was at the Union Club. Trying to find an outfit that would pass the Union Club’s conservative dress code and still rock sufficiently hard enough for the show wasn’t easy. As it turns out, I failed – Union Club staff required that I hang up my jacket because it featured a skull on the back. They were very nice about the whole thing, though.

After a quick slice of pizza and the undoing of my dress shirt to reveal one of my Alice Cooper tour shirts (see, Union Club – I was trying) we headed off to the show at Sugar.

Sugar is a pretty good venue for a show. It has a great vibe and if you get there early enough, you can snag some pretty cool balcony seating.

Getting there early also means you get to see all the opening acts. Last night there were two of them.

The Malahat

The first band was a local act called The Malahat. These guys had lots of stage antics,  with the lead singer channeling a young Robert Plant and the guitarist trying out variations on Angus Young. Both were inexplicably barefoot.

I thought the rhythm section of the band had the edge in talent, but maybe that’s just because the bass player looked like me at 20.

While my fellow concert-goers liked this band’s energy I found their performance muddy and artificial. I will give them credit for getting the crowd going early (opening bands have to play to half-empty houses, which is never easy). Also, during their set a couple speakers broke loose from their moorings and spun around from their ceiling mounting. This caused the roadies to have to temporarily stop the show to fix it. The boys of Malahat took it all in stride. I later checked out a song of their's called "The Grit" on Youtube and they sound pretty sweet. I think they just need more experience playing live to hone their skills, and that will come over time.

Smash Boom Pow

The second band was Smash Boom Pow who, like the Pack A.D., were a two-piece. These guys played hard rock with delightful guitar riffs. The singer had a beautiful high voice that was clear and powerful even at the top end of his range. He also understood how to speak into a microphone so you could understand what he was saying. This is a skill that is surprisingly absent from most live acts.

I liked Smash Boom Pow a lot; so much so that I went searching for their merch table to buy their album, but there was nothing to be found. When I checked today I discovered that both their albums are available only as electronic downloads. Argh. I will now spend a couple months seeing if I can work up the nerve to do this, and then burn them on a CD that I can put on my shelf. Always have merch, SBP! Here’s a song of theirs called "A Girl" showing that they are also awesome in the studio.

Pack A.D.

Finally, after three hours of nursing my tall cans of beer and holding off latecomers determined to horn in on our awesome seating, the Pack A.D. took the stage with little fanfare.

I’d heard rumours that these guys rocked live and they did not disappoint. They got right down to it and brought all the infectious energy of their recorded album and then some.

Singer Becky Black plays a mean rock guitar. The guitar seems to drag her around the stage with a mind of its own, as she fights it off with a wide-legged, pigeon-toed stance. Despite all this seemingly involuntary movement she is always totally in control, and her playing is sharp and powerful. Her voice is strong enough to soar over the heavy riffs, although I found that she has a habit of pulling away from the microphone when she goes for higher notes that makes it sound a bit thin.

Drummer Maya Miller was (surprisingly) in charge of banter and she did a fine job of sounding disaffected and cool, as a rock star should be. She plays the drum with power and authority, and she has a nice thudding style that reminded me of Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward.

The set list was a good mix of older and new stuff, and they had a good feel for the crowd, throwing in a couple of slower numbers at just the right time to give the concert a natural ebb and flow.

The crowd was mostly young (under 30) and was a mix of the super happy and the broodingly aggressive. The mosh pit was one of the craziest I’ve seen in a while, or maybe it just felt that way from my high perch over the floor. I played paper-rock-scissors with a guy to determine who would be next to order drinks at the bar and generally had a good experience. I also wisely stayed out of the pit, which surged and bucked with an almost animalistic intensity throughout the whole performance.

The merch table was cool, with groovy t-shirts and plenty of size M (long-time readers will know my frustration with a merch table with inadequate size options). I even bought a fourth album there for a mere $10.

I would definitely go see the Pack A.D. again, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they become a lot more famous very soon. They have a great sound, and they own the stage from the moment they take it to the moment they downed tools and walk off without fanfare or drama.