Piebald, your original accidental gentlemen
Stumbling out of Boston, Massachusetts, Rock/Indie/Punk band Piebald give us another slice of their alternative sound. 'Accidental Gentleman', is the band's fourth album and is one of those album that sounds a little haphazard in it's production, but only adds to what Guitarist/Vocalist Travis Shettel says, "...It reflects the kind of people we are. We're gentlemen at heart, but a bit sloppy by nature..."
First song, cunningly entitled, 'Opener' has a simple punk feel to it with fast drumming and simple verses, whereas 'A Friend Of Mine' is a little more mid-tempo with a distinctive Indie-edge, in the piano-breaks and reminds me of Brit-Indie band, Idiot Boy.
I can't help but feel a little nostalgic when I hear this album. Song's like, 'Don't Tell Me Nothing' has a feeling of songs from the 80's that fell into that Alternative scene with bands like Sonic Youth. 'There's Always Something Better To Do' has big chunky punk riffs that give this song a catchy feel. I'm reminded of the band Everclear, in the fact that they are close to Punk, have a sprinkling of Indie, but ultimately are a straight up, and slightly middle-of-the-road rock band, in the vein of the Pixies, or Frank Black. 'Strangers' is a song that could've been written in any time frame between 1960 up to present date, which isn't to say that it's dated, but more so that it's a timeless classic. Slow and thoughtful, it's well crafted and deserves more exposure than it will probably get!
For me the middle of the album doesn't have too many stand out tracks. 'Shark Attack' has some fairly amusing lyrics, 'On and On' is a gentle-plod of a number but doesn't really go anywhere, whilst things look up slightly in the quick rant of, 'Getting Mugged and Loving It'.
We have another slow number in, 'Roll On' that is a little Freddie Mercury with a dash of George Michael. I guess depending on what you think of the aforementioned entertainers, may well determine what you think of this song. It also clocks in a little under six minutes...
We have a hidden thirteenth song at the end which is more of the mid-tempo punk rock that seems to be more of their strength, and it's a fitting ending to an album that should make you want to go back and start again.
Piebald have an album that is a little bit of alternative that will fit in well with university life, as well has having just enough rough-edges to remain cool to the young and old. Even when Piebald rant and rave, and play their instruments aggressively, you can't help but think of them as nice lads; some might say accidental gentlemen...