Golden Mixtape

The clock on this laptop reads midnight and usually I turn off the London games, take an off brand Benedryl and lay in a hot bed waiting to fall asleep. This time around I’m not in the (dis)comfort of my hot apartment, instead I’m visiting my family and in a trailer they keep too cold out of fear they might sweat as they move from their seated destination to the kitchen. My younger brother’s avoiding parenthood by chatting on Facebook and I’m trying to drown out the sound of his rapping with Black Pistol Fire’s Big Beat ’59. It’s not necessarily my first choice in late night amusement, but it did its job with its hippy rock.

With “Beelzebub” came images of a Woodstock era scene of free love and the smell of herbal refreshment became all too real (note: said younger brother is an herbal refreshment professional). The gang vocals represented a sense of “brotherhood” throughout the song and it sets listeners up for the rest of Big Beat ’59. “Bombs and Bruises” made me question who I am and then I remembered a certain playlist that came into my life and that made me a bit hipster-centric, so that’s probably why this Coachella party starter made my ears dance a bit.

By the time “Dead Love” played, it was apparent that maybe this music was coming through as something I actually liked because it would’ve been heard in one of the best movies ever…Dazed & Confused. It’s got that 60’s heading into 70’s antiestablishment scent and would’ve been the back drop to an end of the year shindig. But nothing will resonate with ears better than “Hot Mess.” With the title, one expects that same rock, but this one was toned down and sounded like something that’d escape an antique jukebox found in neighbor’s garage.

Not every song is a hit…there were a trio that made this late night rendezvous a little hard to get through; “Lay Low,” “Slow Burn” and “Stripes or Keys” aren’t on top of the list, so that’s a fair warning. But if you’re into that 70’s style rock that is brought into the here and now thanks to bands like Black Crowes and The Black Keys, than Black Pistol Fire’s Big Beat ’59 is for you and you can get it out August 14^th on Rifle Bird Records.