The Sacred Broncos could use a little schooling on that which is truly sacred. Perhaps balancing the quality of their studio work with their live performance would be a start. When I heard the two tracks on their new 7-inch, “Lions” and “Don’t Mind,” I thought perhaps the were on to something. They certainly have a tight sound with just about everything in its place: killer So-Cal 70s style guitar solos, reminiscent of The Doors or Santana, over 90s style drums and bass. On first listen, the vocals seemed a little mismatched for the band, as though they came from a muted soul. Here’s where I thought they might be really piecing together the same kind of concoction that The National and The Hold Steady have made waves with – get your band to play some sweet well arranged melodic head-bop rock, and then have the singer be slightly anti-melodic, thus creating a fail-proof sacred balance.
With only the two tracks in tow, plus a couple of ganders onto their MySpace, I went to see if this was in fact what The Sacred Broncos were all about. It was just the opposite. The vocals, shared by the bassist and guitarist*, seemed to be tone deaf, and the whole operation sounded off key. Whatever it potential there might have been in the studio recordings turned out to be just that, potential without the right elements to fuel any sort of trajectory. If you’re going to piece together the sacred sounds of the 70s and the 90s, you need a soulful voice to do it.
* Editor’s note: Vocals were shared by both guitarists.
Are really sure you payed attention to the band? I was there and the bassist wasnt even singing?
Thank you for the correction. We have updated the review with an editor’s note.
There is nothing sacred about rap rock.