The Pack A.D. - Tintype

A very easy cop out would be to say that The Pack A.D. sound like The White Stripes. But let's not forget that The White Stripes sound like an awful lot of other classic bands themselves and, if you've ever seen any of their interviews, they seem quite proud of that fact. No, it would be much more accurate to say that this female duo from British Colombia is a very solid and hard hitting blues band. That rocks.

The band consists of Maya Miller on drums and Becky Black on vocals and guitars (and piano). A look at their influences on myspace shows that these girls are into classic authentic blues rock, and Becky's vocals contain that harsh edge that only a bottle of Jack Daniels can create. In other words, these vocals cannot be faked, they have to be lived. Right from the opening wailing guitar thrash of the very first song on Tintype, namely Gold Rush, it becomes obvious that these girls mean business. The album only gets better from there. All Damn Day Long may not have the lyrical intrigue of Dylan or anything, but you can't help but feel that Becky believes every word that she sings. I feel that the best songs are the ones that make their point quickly, like What's Up There and Buyin' My Way. Both of those songs don't even hit the two minute mark, but it's those sharp blasts of throat tearin' soul that leaves the most indelible mark on me.

Because all of the songs are of the same mold, I think that the CD does overstay it's welcome just a little bit. The Hardtack Saloon interludes are unnecessary, and it would be great to have more songs like the slower paced Walk On to add a bit more variety, (as well as showcasing just how good Becky's vocals actually are), but for a debut, Tintype really does stand out. They've already got a new CD called Funeral Mixtape slated for release in August, and it'll be interesting to see if they introduce some new ideas on this one or not. I know I missed out on seeing them perform when they were in town for NXNE, but I can tell from what I've heard that they're likely a more than capable live act, and I'll definitely check them out the next time they're in town.

Photo by Mark Maryanovich.

Myspace: The Pack A.D.
Video: Moonshine (live) on youtube
Video: This Terror (live) on youtube
Video: TMNTV Interview with The Pack A.D. on youtube
Download: Making Gestures (from the upcoming CD Funeral Mixtape) mp3