Black Tie Dynasty

The gear area of the Double Wide's show room had an unusual inventory Friday night. In addition to the usual drums, guitars and Fender amps, there were the lights: six of the silver clip-on variety (three for Dynah, the opening quartet from Austin, and three for Black Tie Dynasty, the Dallas headliner) and The Hourly Radio's free-standing theater lamps, controlled from afar and punctuating their songs with dims and strobes. Onstage there were ties, blazers, striped shirts, head-to-toe black and haircuts that could have been swiped from the photo files of Blur and Suede. This was not a night of just-rolled-out-of-bed rock and roll.
But the preparation didn't end with dramatic lights and snazzy outfits. All three bands--young though they are--were tight, dynamic and original, though heavily influenced by Brit pop. Dynah was heavy on the guitar effects with a spaceyness tempered by solid pop, a Radiohead-meets-The Promise Ring sound. The Hourly Radio, also fond of the effects pedals but without being wanky, weren't overshadowed by the light show, even successfully covering Pulp's "Common People," though singer Aaron Closson sounded more like Material Issue's Jim Ellison than Jarvis Cocker. Finally Black Tie Dynasty, a Dallas quartet preparing for the November release of its six-song EP This Stays Between Us, plays dark but danceable '80s Brit pop in the vein of Psychedelic Furs or Echo and the Bunnymen. Theirs are the kind of smart but catchy tunes that could have been featured in Pretty in Pink. The seemingly nonsensical lyrics (something about crime scenes and ice cream) paired with the dark tone is reminiscent of Interpol. These bands may mine similar territory, yes, but they still deserve the spotlight.

- Dallas Observer

...Finally, Black Tie Dynasty. If ever there were a band tailor-made to take the Granada stage, it's this Fort Worth quartet. Almost as rail-like as Quartz and clad in fly-eye sunglasses, BTD's lead dude Corey Watson carried the show with his echo-drenched voice. Effect-laden keyboard lines interlaced with dancing bass lines; guitar shifted from distorted to clean and chime-y. And, best of all, BTD's melodies snaked their way through the room and housed themselves in the "Really Catchy Pop Songs" section of everybody's head. Yes, they're retro—Joy Division, etc.—but as Watson's gyrations and dance moves evoked Prince, of all people, BTD did nothing but inspire hands in the air and hips swiveling and ladies swooning. And there's nothing more rock 'n' roll than that. - Dallas Observer

Had Black Tie Dynasty's full-length debut, Movements, actually been released in the 1980s, John Hughes would have fallen all over himself to put their tunes in his movies. Vocalist Cory Watson's earnest yelps and distressed tenor resemble a young Ian McCulloch, a perfect match for Movements' swooning (new) romance and sparkling bombast. Think U2 ("Antarctica"), Simple Minds ("Bells") and, yes, Echo & the Bunnymen ("Tender") — although the Fort Worth, Texas, quartet stands out from other neo-wavers since these dramatic hooks brim with genuine grandeur and passion. Rounding out this strong triple bill are regional slo-core swirlgazers Berry — playing a rare area show — and jaunty, Walkmen-like indie-rockers the Hibernauts. - Riverfront Times

Had Black Tie Dynasty's full-length debut, Movements, actually been released in the 1980s, John Hughes would have fallen all over himself to put the band's tunes in, say, Pretty in Pink. Cory Watson's earnest yelps and distressed tenor recall a young Ian McCulloch, a perfect match for Movements' swooning (new) romance and sparkling bombast. Think U2 ("Antarctica"), Simple Minds ("Bells") and, yes, Echo & the Bunnymen ("Tender") — although the Fort Worth, Texas, quartet stands out from other neo-wavers because these dramatic hooks brim with genuine grandeur and passion. - The Pitch