Black Pussy plays retro rock ‘n’ roll with On Blonde

Thanks to the ascetic-rock cool of Black Pussy’s debut album On Blonde, the soundtrack for high school art rooms might just have changed. On Blonde

Black Pussy

Made in China Records

Rocks Like: Eagles of Death Metal, Black Angels, Rolling Stones

Grade C+

Thanks to the ascetic-rock cool of Black Pussy’s debut album On Blonde, the soundtrack for high school art rooms might just have changed. Named Black Pussy after what was supposedly the original title of the Rolling Stone’s “Brown Sugar,” the sextet’s sound seems to bridle that image of rock ‘n’ roll excess with metallic guitars, driving rhythms and lyrics about weed, girls and the darkened desert.

The sound is pure retro, but touches on modernity with a carefully planned rhythm and guitars that occasionally jet into post-Hendrix extremes. “Marijuana” and “Can’t Take Anymore” feel a bit over-the-top thematically — and musically — but the restraint on subsequent tracks creates a tremendous difference.

The female backing vocal on “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love” is haunting and lends a lingering dimensionality to the band’s sound. “Indiana,” the final track, even slows things down and speaks in a sentimental tone.

The finished product is often ridiculous, but it’s still rock ‘n’ roll, isn’t it? The band’s dark, offensive visuals are completely at home in the songs listed above. On Blonde is rebellious and sentimental in the way a great rock record should be, but rarely does it seem to tie the two themes together with great success.

Although the sounds seem to be present, the focus needs some adjustment in order to make On Blonde the desert-bohemian classic it was meant to be.