Blag’ard makes its home in the sludgy backwaters
of indie rock, combining restrained powerchord progressions
and layered vocals that foster a faint echo of glammy
androgyny (at times reminiscent of Placebo’s
Brian Molko when Blag’ard frontman Joe Taylor
rips into his upper register).
The EP opens with the cascading existential refrains
of “Monk,” where
Taylor laments his position as “the loneliest man ever” by confiding
dark secrets with the listener, explaining, “My libido’s the only
one who cares.” “Losty” picks up the pace with Taylor’s
ever-evolving hall-of-mirrors lyrical fumes spinning into a catchy explosion
chorus, resulting in Blag’ard’s most carefree and enjoyable track.
The frantic string-bending merry-go-round of “Peaches In Cream” and
the whimpering muted chords of “Jenny G” keep Blank Faced Clocks from
ever sounding like its following in its own footsteps
exactly, but the album could have benefited from some
studio tinkering, or at least a little variation in
guitar tone.
While inspirations are sometimes mimicked (Meat Puppets,
Wipers, Melvins, etc…),
Blag’ard has delivered an interesting starting point that will hopefully
fill out with more time and some tactfully developed creative experimentation.
Favorite Track: Track 2, "Losty”
