Black Them Boots

URL:
http://www.indierockcafe.com/2009/08/in-dee-mail-las-black-them-boots-debut.html

TEXT:
It's always nice when a talented new indie band emerges with a style all of their own. Los Angeles band Black Them Boots' debut album Fancy delivers an intriguing, melodic stream of witty, up-tempo songs that mix indie pop and alternative rock with folk and post punk influences.

Taking their name from a verse in a "ring-play folk song", Black Them Boots was formed by singer and songwriter Larry Corte and guitarist Pat Martin during the summer of 2006. The duo's initial folk rock project gradually morphed into the distinct sound they have today. Part of the evolution of the band's music comes from the confinement and boredom Corte struggled with following a serious snowboarding accident in 2007. With little else to do but wait for his injuries to heal, Corte found an outlet in his songwriting. Following his recovery, bassist Mark Waters and drummer Chris Fischer joined the band to record the songs for Fancy.

The result is an album full of attention grabbing, enjoyable music, as evident on the alt rock songs "Don't Look Back", "A Horse On A Hill" and "Locked Up". The main elements of the band's unique style - witty and ironic lyrics (mostly revolving around love), ambient guitar riffs, thick, thumpy bass lines and driving drum beats - are also evidenced on songs like "It Feels A Lot Like Love" and the post-punk revivalist track "One Way"(which sounds like the Brit rock band Editors).

The do-do-do choruses and lighthearted pop melodies of "Dear Darling" provide another twist, and yet another opportunity, for Corte to sneak in his jaded view of love: "Oh yeah that’s my heart on my sleeve, you stab, you jab, you poke at me," the song goes; followed only seconds later by: "I have an angel on my mind, if you're not her, don't waste my time. I have a demon trapped inside, if you're an angel, it will hide."

One of the album's stand out tracks - "Scar" - touches on the wounds of love, but it is delivered with such upbeat sarcasm and optimistic defiance that it's easy to miss the misery that exists between the lines of the song's lyrics. This is a common theme on BTB's debut; even the record's last song, a cover version of the otherwise somber (but with a silver lining?) Daniel Johnston "True Love Will Find You In The End," has an uplifting, even cheerful, spin to it.

The band's musical influences include The Pixies, Gang of Four, Weezer, Nirvana, Cake, Pavement and Sonic Youth, among others. Black Them Boots have played shows in Los Angeles, where the band has a growing fan base. Now they're ready to take on the rest of the country with a month long tour (August 6 - Sept. 3) throughout the west and midwest. Fancy is a great debut from a promising band that I suspect we will be hearing more about in the years to come; that is, if heartbreak doesn't kill them first.
- Indie Rock Cafe

2 thumbs up best album I have heard in years.

Nate. "Nobody likes to read so check out the video Review i did"

URL:
http://skateboard.com/blogs/blog/20090722/black_them_boots__fancy__review-2810.html - Skateboad.com - Nate Sherwood

URL:
http://audiotier.com/fresh-audio/2009/9/21/black-them-boots.html

TEXT:
LA based Black Them Boots can charm any listener into submission with simple/straight-forward Jimmy Eat World inspired post-punk indie that bursts with radio friendly choruses.

The folky’ness is translucent and combined with some retro

from the Pixies and punches from the Get-Up Kids, the quartet delivers an able and well adjusted ensemble of musicianship.

Frontman Larry Corte’s songwriting and vocal abilities are comparable with those of Morrissey and The Clash - there’s more between the lines then on the actual lines, yet the songs are heartache’d and full of failure-angst.

A definate band to look out for. Their debut ‘Fancy’ is in stores now. - Audiotier

URL:
http://www.flaglive.com/flagstafflive_story.cfm?storyID=201288

TEXT:
You can almost smell the sea spray’s salty tang in Black Them Boots’ music. Well, actually … no. But this California quartet does have its origins in beautiful Costa Mesa, and what musician could stave off the ocean’s romantic influence?
Black Them Boots (the name is derived from a verse in a ring-play folk song) got its start when singer-songwriter Larry Corte and guitarist Pat Martin paired up for a “fun folk rock project” in the summer of 2006 in Costa Mesa, Calif. What started out in a light-hearted vein soon turned more serious and intense after Corte was severely injured in a snowboarding accident. He spent months with only his guitar and notebook, the result being a sound that shifts from topical to tortured and back.
The band’s debut album, Fancy, is creating quite a stir—the record’s fourth track, “Locked Up,” was used on a Surfline TV video and got more than 60,000 plays. In the wake of their burgeoning popularity, original bassist Mark Waters and drummer Chris Fischer left the band, and were replaced by drummer Mike Vallejo and the ridiculously talented Daryl Price on guitar.
Citing influences like the Pixies, Gang of Four, Weezer, Hum, REM, and Pavement (read the entire list on their MySpace page. Do it.), Black Them Boots have a sound at once oddly familiar and head-turningly original. In a world where dying record companies are desperately shoving pop f[p09j]]lkj[pi=[i pppp (This is where my cat, Moby, walked across my keyboard as I’m struggling to meet a deadline).<
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br> Moby: What’re you doing? Did you see I got a hummingbird this morning?
Me: Hey! I’m trying to type, you little prick. I was about to listen to Fancy by Black Them Boots, and review the album.
Moby: Mind if I listen? My iPod ran out of charge, and I was in the middle of Offspring’s Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.
Me: Bummer. Yeah, OK. But stay off the keyboard while I’m typing.
Moby: Did this guy Larry really survive for months with no food, water or Internet?
Me: What the hell are you talking about?
Moby: It says here in the band bio “Larry spent months with only his guitar and a notebook.”
Me: I’m going to put the CD on. The first track is “Don’t Look Back.”
Moby: Sonic Youth. If Jay Mascis was doing guest vocals.
Me: Good call. Have you seen Jay lately? He’s getting as chunky as Yngwie Malmsteen.
Moby: I like the sliding leads. Very Bob Mould. Or Muse, if you took away the huge distortion.
Me: Track two is called “One Way.” Cheeky. “I think you think I think you think too much.” Great line. And the guitars have that cool clean-but-pushed-hard sound. Very … uh, Fender-esque. Almost sounds like English guys playing American guitars. Or Minnesotans. Track three is “Dear Darling.”
Moby: Next. Skip it.
Me: Huh? This one’s got really sweet harmonies. It’s about demons and angels, and it’s a love song.
Moby: Too pretty.
Me: You’ve been listening to too much Lamb of God. This next track is their big hit “Locked Up.”
Moby: Now we’re talking. Frantic surf punk with fat rockabilly undertones. Killer chorus. These guys should share a bill with the F-Holes. Oooh, hey … sorry. Forgot about the breakup.
Me: Track five is “It Feels A Lot Like Love.” Don’t you dare invoke Dead Kennedys.
Moby: You have to admit …
Me: Don’t.
Moby: OK, the guitars rule. And the shouted chorus makes me want to go all crazy on the drapes.
Me: Track six is “Home.” Strummed acoustics with drunk hobo vocals and tambourine. This must be the “fun folk rock” section. Don’t look at me like that. It’s pure modern folk like you hear on Sirius Radio and marvel at. Next track is “A Horse On A Hill.”
Moby: Nice. When Larry was languishing on that couch, he must have had dreams where Pearl Jam invited him on stage to share his feelings on the mic. Me likey. Especially the feedback ending.
Me: Song number eight is “Scar.” Jangly. Yeah, I can see how the Pixies figure in. Not in an overt way, but in a ghostly visitational way.
Moby: If the ghost of Black Francis visited me in the night, I’d ask him three questions.
Me: Song nine is “Doin’ Everything Right.”
Moby: I am so reminded of Meat Puppets here.
Me: Nope. Meat Puppets aren’t in their “Influences” list.
Moby: Um, Wilco? Johnny Cash! Calexico! Dead Kennedys!
Me: Cut it out! Must you simply cite bands whose work each song happens to remind you of? And I specifically told you not to mention DK. But I’d have to go along with you on that one. Or Violent Femmes, who are on the “Influences” list.
Moby: I won’t comment on the Adam and the Ants drum part then.
Me: Track 10 is “Seven Miles of Copper.” The lush obtuseness. The extroverted introversion.
Moby: The trumpet intro is spellbinding and winsome, like the weeping of a spurned lover on a balmy night. So much pain. His phrasing is impeccable. You know, the bass really carries this one. You could throw a saddle over Mark Waters’ bass lines in this tune. I’d say this is my favorite song so far— it’s begging to be used in a Tarantino film.
Me: The final track is “True Love Will Find You In The End.” Wow. This is great. This is the song you end an … album … with. Or it’s the big finish to a set, where all the people pressing against the stage are screaming the lyrics.
Moby: That’s the end? Huh. I feel strangely sad. Give it another spin.
Me: That’s the spirit.
Black Them Boots, will perform with folky California band Great Big Things Wed, Aug. 12 at the Monte V, 100 N. San Francisco, at 10 p.m. with no cover. For more info, call 774-2403 or go to www.blackthemboots.com. - Flagstaff Live: By Dean Bonzani

March 23, 2009, Los Angeles, CA

BLACK THEM BOOTS is set to release their debut album “Fancy,” named after the band’s satirical take on the long overdue effort to capture its rough-cut sound on a quality recording. Playful melodies resonate the band’s folk and rock inspirations on all eleven tracks, while the album’s lyrics are best described as a fun take on life’s miseries.

“Ignore the words and just listen to the beats and melodies and you’d be thinking something amazing and fun is happening,” said singer-songwriter Larry Corte. “But in reality, the whole record is this pathetic story of heartache, misfortune, and failure.”

One of the best examples of the band’s upbeat sound paired with dark lyrics is the track “Dear Darling.” Sure to be the record’s first hit, the catchy “do-do” vocals replace a structured chorus and give the song a jingle-like sound fit for a sunny car commercial. All the while, morose lyrics like, “Oh yeah that’s my heart on my sleeve, you stab, you jab, you poke at me” turn the track on its head.

“Fancy” is an album that demands close attention. Just when the sound can be defined as indie rock infused with traces of folk and punk, a Mexican-style horn wails the intro to “Seven Miles of Copper,” forcing one to give it a fresh listen.

The album ends with an upbeat take on Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In The End,” putting a positive slant on a song previously interpreted as sad and pitiful.

“What I don’t think people realize is that the song is hopeful. It’s a positive thing, and that’s the sort of spin we tried to put on the entire album: to take a lonely and sad situation and make it, well, okay,” adds Larry.

Producer Cameron Webb recorded the main tracks over a few days in late 2008 at Maple Sound Studios in Santa Ana, California. With a repertoire that includes bands like Social Distortion, Motörhead, and Silverstein, Cameron hailed Black Them Boots as “a male version of The Breeders,” and noted that the simultaneous tracking, along with minimal production and editing, gives “Fancy” the feel of a live a recording.

“Cameron does more than place mics and run the board. He captures the performance,” said lead guitarist Pat Martin.

Additional post-production work was completed in bassist Mark Waters’ home studio and Larry’s bedroom, with several trips back to Maple, passing the hard drive around like a bottle of Wild Turkey at a camp fire, until it was done.

The album will be released in both digital and CD formats on April 21. And for those vinyl lovers, a classic LP will be available early this summer. So come on, get “Fancy
- Lauren Gullion

URL: http://stadiums-and-shrines.blogspot.com/2009/04/on-headphones.html

Black Them Boots - Fancy (2009)

Truth be told, leads that come in the form of 'you should check out my friend's band' don't have the most promise (unless you're friends with Isaac Brock or something).

Mark this one as a rare win. Black Them Boots has an endearing simplicity about them. Fancy is a modern Californian take on a rather retro punk-rock delivery (see: Pixies, Gang of Four).

And they threw in a kick-ass, feel-good version of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You In The End." - Stadiums and Shrines