2008 Woodie Awards
Indy band's entirely self-produced debut sounds professional
Grant Smith
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Entertainment
I have always said, "if you're gonna rip somebody off, it may as well be good bands." Indianapolis band Black Panel Van does just that.
They take the best elements of bands like Trans Am, the Jesus Lizard and Shellac, and fuse them into 10 songs that not only fit perfectly together, but also make up one of the most interesting albums I have heard from a local band in a very, very long time.
Taking into account that "Milk/Menthol" was entirely self-produced, from the engineering to the album art, you realize that this is the ground floor of something exciting for Indianapolis.
Black Panel Van makes no effort to hide its influences, but still take the time to craft its music into something that is completely its own. While songs like "Science of Defiance," and the aptly-named "Trans Ma'am" sound like they could have come off of Trans Am's "Futureworld," with heavy use of vocoders (the effect that makes a voice sound like a robot's) and programmed drums mixed with live drums.
While at times vocalist Victor Green makes a conscious effort to sound like Shellac's Steve Albini, specifically on "Grey Blooded Mockingbird," throughout the rest of the album, Green sounds like, well, Green. His lyrics are presented more like a narrative than the blatant exposition of emotions, which seems to be the trend for popular alternative bands these days.
In the song "Trans Ma'am," Green sings honestly and in a unique voice about a past relationship.
"In the basement on the couch, on that night we never met. You were coming down from what's his name; I was coming down from meth. I found myself inside of you, that's how I got to know you, you're the sweetest little demon who ever took breath."
On the whole, "Milk/Menthol" follows much of the same pattern thematically-heavy synthesizer use and darker lyrics which not only depict the counterculture of small town Indiana, but are universally creepy enough to be identifiable to all fans of progressive forms of rock, i.e. new wave, industrial, Goth pop, and post punk.
Black Panel Van's approach has gotten them not only a remarkably professional-sounding record for a new local band with some really good song writing, but also a fine record by anybody's standards.
They take the best elements of bands like Trans Am, the Jesus Lizard and Shellac, and fuse them into 10 songs that not only fit perfectly together, but also make up one of the most interesting albums I have heard from a local band in a very, very long time.
Taking into account that "Milk/Menthol" was entirely self-produced, from the engineering to the album art, you realize that this is the ground floor of something exciting for Indianapolis.
Black Panel Van makes no effort to hide its influences, but still take the time to craft its music into something that is completely its own. While songs like "Science of Defiance," and the aptly-named "Trans Ma'am" sound like they could have come off of Trans Am's "Futureworld," with heavy use of vocoders (the effect that makes a voice sound like a robot's) and programmed drums mixed with live drums.
While at times vocalist Victor Green makes a conscious effort to sound like Shellac's Steve Albini, specifically on "Grey Blooded Mockingbird," throughout the rest of the album, Green sounds like, well, Green. His lyrics are presented more like a narrative than the blatant exposition of emotions, which seems to be the trend for popular alternative bands these days.
In the song "Trans Ma'am," Green sings honestly and in a unique voice about a past relationship.
"In the basement on the couch, on that night we never met. You were coming down from what's his name; I was coming down from meth. I found myself inside of you, that's how I got to know you, you're the sweetest little demon who ever took breath."
On the whole, "Milk/Menthol" follows much of the same pattern thematically-heavy synthesizer use and darker lyrics which not only depict the counterculture of small town Indiana, but are universally creepy enough to be identifiable to all fans of progressive forms of rock, i.e. new wave, industrial, Goth pop, and post punk.
Black Panel Van's approach has gotten them not only a remarkably professional-sounding record for a new local band with some really good song writing, but also a fine record by anybody's standards.
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