The first thing that's probably worth knowing about songwriter Liz Hysen and Picastro is that there are a number of people that sound like them in a number of fairly visible circles. So, chances are high that you, dear untrained Tiny Mix Tapes reader, will even be able to compare them to a band you might have heard before, despite not having risen to the ranks of TMT lackey.
Beyond that, though, there are a wealth of titillating nuggets to wrap your mind around. Hysen, as it turns out, was raised in a deaf family and was actually born clinically deaf herself. That does not seem to have stopped her from having a career in the recording arts. She is from Toronto, where such oddly-tuned, plaintive music that she writes and her band plays is often popular. And, of course, you may have heard a song from Picastro's previous album on the popular TV series 24, to which one of their songs was licensed. Despite previous brushes with success, though, one must think that finding a home on Polyvinyl records, whose distribution deals link artists to the masses, will find more stable success for Picastro.
That last statement can flow definitively from these fingers because of the breathtaking simplicity in which Picastro's recent effort, Metal Cares, operates and succeeds. The band employs only Hysen's voice, cello, occasionally drums, and guitars to create brief songs that flow around repetitive vocals and equally repetitive guitar lines. When a break in theme occurs, it is both surprising and extremely refreshing. Hysen is the type of songwriter who carries repetition far beyond when it sounds like the line "should" break. This can get annoying, so for that little extra umph, Hysen turns to her quiet majesty. Few performers have that certain gift to make this style interesting, but Hysen is clearly one of them. Whether it is that you can barely hear what she is saying, or that the always-in-crescendo motion of the music forces you to reel off every note by the end of each song, this Picastro album stands out in a field that has been well-touted of late.
1. No Contest
2. Common Cold
3. Sharks
4. Dramaman
5. I Can't Fall Asleep
6. Skinnies
7. Raddy Daddy
8. Teeth And No Eyes
9. Ah Nyeh Nyeh
10. Blonde Fires
More about: Picastro
