The Heartless Bastards played the Mercury Lounge this weekend; I saw them Saturday. Their music is a combination of distorted garage rock and gritty blues riffage bashed with aggressive drums. Erika Wennerstrom has a commanding low and troubled voice that is quite surprising to hear bellowed from her tiny frame. Singing, she made dramatic and painful facial expressions, forcing some words out and desperately holding onto others. I was really with the band on their faster songs, like "New Resolution" and "Pass and Fail," as the frustration in the lyrics brimmed to the top of the continual dejection. Those songs were like hitting rock bottom and then trying to scramble out of the pit that you fell into. The Heartless Bastards also played a few songs from a new album due out in July.
Download "New Resolution" from their website.
I also saw The Gaskets on Friday at Pianos. They were too much fun. Jerry Yeti has a review and some MP3s.
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