The Big Bend
Celebrate
Reviewed by: Tiffany Taylor
Pittsburgh folk-rock band, The Big Bend, is releasing their latest LP Celebrate with Misra Records. Chet Vincent, frontman, showcases a vocal range that spans from tantalizing shouts to soft and charismatic crooning. What makes The Big Bend so special is their ability to tell a story and keep their listener hooked. From the opening song to the final note, Celebrate presents a diversity in sound that Pittsburgh locals and fans all over can find joy in.
Celebrate opens with “The Spins,” a dissonant, yet funky track full of surprises. A short song that is crazy and weird, but proves to be a standout favorite on the entire album. Usually when a band tries to blend different sounds into a cohesive piece, I am typically skeptical. The Big Bend rises to the occasion and presents an album that does not even make you think how all over the place it really is. “Chain Smoking” is a pure rock track with loud guitars and high piano. It sounds as if it just rolled out of the ’70s era and was a complete hit.
Falling into the middle of the album is “Cut Us Down”. If anything, it is a more slowed down track compared to the others, but the clean use of instruments is what is most notable about it. The intro comes in very powerful and the rest of the song mellows out to show Vincent’s vocals and how they stand on their own. “Who Am I To Deny It?” comes in as more of a ballad type with a ’50s rock feel- The Big Bend really appeals to the decades.
“Fingertrap” is different than anything else the album had yet to offer. There is a whole lot of “twang” and emotion that definitely gives the band their folk feel. The album progresses nicely into one central piece. The title track “Celebrate” created something strikingly unique and definitely played their cards right. Personally, I never expected to enjoy something that was out of the ordinary, but The Big Bend totally changed my perspective so maybe they can change yours too.
Rating: Bad-Ass
