Rest assured, I have not gone soft: when I heard the news about Polvo reuniting, I freaked out like a schoolgirl. Better news there could not be. But this post is not about Polvo, sort of. As many of you know (or maybe you don’t so here’s a lesson), Dave and Steve from the band also play in Black Taj. They put out a pretty solid self-titled release a couple years ago (and were the final band to play PP). In between all the reuniting, Black Taj are releasing a new record, Beyonder, next month on NYC’s Amish Records. Yup, for those who like to keep score, that title comes from a song on their first release.

I don’t want to say this is the perfect substitute for another Polvo album, because that would be downplaying Black Taj as a band. (It’s like if you dated someone and even though you broke up with said person, people would always use the ex as a point of reference. If it’s not kosher in our romantic lives, why is it acceptable to make similar comparisons when we’re talking about bands?)

But I digress. One of the strengths of Black Taj, I think, has been moving beyond what Polvo offered. Instead of western-tinged structures (which got super-indulgent and downright boring by Shapes), Black Taj shifts those trademark guitar riffs to classic rock. It winds up invoking the same fiery spark that put their previous band on the map in the first place. It’s not a throwback or a comeback, but rather staking out territory of its own.

Black Taj, “Fresh Air Traverse” (from Beyonder)
Pre-order the album here!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 7:02 am and is filed under mp3blog.