Album reviews
Los Burbanks
Odd Little Nightmare EP
(INFIDEL Records, 2005)
Upon first listen, Los Burbanks sounds like many other bands that have emerged from the Seattle music scene: loud, somewhat snotty and mired in the grunge/garage tradition that has shaped the city's musical image since the late '80s. Listen a little deeper, though, and it becomes apparent that Los Burbanks is more than just one of the many copycat bands that call the Northwest home. The band is an amalgam of styles and cultures that writhe and meld in the form of simple and unabashed rock 'n' roll.
What stands out first on the EP Odd Little Nightmare, is that lead singer and bassist German Brise¤o sings in Spanish as much as he does in English. Raised in Mexico City, it is easy to understand why his delivery feels more natural and laced with emotion during these times when he not so much sings, but snarls his way through songs in his native tongue. Where the tunes in Spanish are rough and edgy, Brise¤os' singing in English is tentative and lacks the steely core of songs like "Straight Line" and "These Skies," where he mixes in both English and Spanish.
This in no way speaks about the musicianship the band exhibits. Jay Smith provides the hard, polished veneer that gives the band much of its appeal, and Jonathan Gottlieb Nelson can be found pounding out the skeleton of every song out of tried-and-true rock fossils-blowing off the dust and making them sound fresh again. The players even exhibit a melodic streak as evidenced on the track "Locusts." It is clear that Brise¤o is the blood, muscle and sinew of this beast. When he is less than his fire-breathing self, the whole production falters. Los Burbanks hits the target more often than not, but the misses are frustrating in the midst of such promise.