Big Fast Car: Roll Those Windows Down and Drive
Nov 20 '03
Pros
Entertaining songs, great rock n' roll, good arrangements...
Cons
Maybe a bit dated (though I'm certain the band knows that)
The Bottom Line
A great, brief look at a band on the rise.
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Ann Arbor may be best known for housing a massive University and birthing Iggy Pop, but the fact is that there are other natives trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry. One such guy is native son Matt Singleton. Despite being raised on the mean streets of AA (as it's affectionately known), Singleton moved on to bigger and better things when he moved a little east to the Detroit metro area.
It was in Detroit that Singleton formed Dog Soldier, a band that saw success across the board on college radio. Another move found Singleton in San Francisco where he opened Blue Room Studios and worked with a vast array of folks from Train to Four Non Blondes to street punks and rappers. Singleton found success throughout the 90's but never on a massive scale, and he once again uprooted himself and moved to a new place--Charlottesville, Virginia of all places.
In Charlottesville, Singleton hooked up with Dustin Bugg (drums) and Brian Temples (bass) to form Big Fast Car. This is where I enter the picture--a lowly music writer currently composing this review on the mean streets of AA. Big Fast Car's first release is The Drive EP. This 2003 disc comes standard with five songs--and an exclusive video for song Liberty's Lament. The disc itself may be short, but it packs sufficient punch to catch my attention. I've missed rock n' roll desperately for the past few years, and Big Fast Car reminds me of what rock should sound like.
The Drive EP makes me want more. Is this a good thing? Yes and no, but mostly yes as I've got all the faith in the world that the band will return for a full-length effort. Very few things in this world are perfect--and The Drive EP is by no means an exception to this rule. Though I have problems knocking a band that entertains me to the extent managed by Big Fast Car.
Opening track Liberty's Lament is probably my favorite offering. It is clear from the very start that this is good old fashioned rock. Fuzzy guitars, brutal drums, and Singleton's rough voice all meld perfectly. The melody is good, but the band doesn't sacrifice gut emotion for making their music "pretty." This conscious "pretty" thing is what has most angered me in the past five years in rock. Liberty's Lament is highly appealing but also just rough enough around the edges to make me actually believe that these guys do rock with the best of 'em.
Don't believe me? Listen to the four songs that follow beginning with Innocent a kinetic, high-energy track that smacks of pure rock--but also a guttural kind of punk. It all works well, and in the end, Innocent proves to be one of the most appealing songs here (if not the most appealing). Road Song returns to straight rock with a particular Southern strut. Singleton's voice isn't exactly what I expect when I first hear the melody and guitars (which are actually very much reminiscent of Black Crowes), but it grows on me. Plus, it's hard not to get a kick out of the song's unique arrangement.
Continuing on both Black GTO and Calliope wrap things up nicely. These songs solidify the fact that this EP is meant as driving music. Not in the emotional sense, but in the sense that you should be behind the wheel of a muscle car--preferably that black GTO that's mentioned. Everything about Big Fast Car screams Foghat or just about anybody else featured on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack.
In an era when rock n' roll is washed out, steam cleaned, and hung out to dry it's a great pleasure to hear a band like Big Fast Car.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Liberty's Lament
02. Innocent
03. Road Song
04. Black GTO
05. Calliope
Recommended:
Yes
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