Victor Bravo – Shut Out The Sky / 2006 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.victorbravo.com / Reviewed 25 February 2007

The furious instrumentation that starts out “Dallas” will remind individuals of acts like Foo Fighters (when they first started out). What Victor Bravo does during this track is create a more polished version of grunge music that still has rough jags at points. The vocals could use a little bit in the way of modification, but the off the wall style that is achieved with them sound as if Jeff Foxworthy and Eddie Vedder had a kid. Hints of both Husker Du and early (think 1986) Goo Goo Dolls are also present during the early part of “Shut Out The Sky”.

Victor Bravo is an act where individuals can see the possibility for greatness easily, but realize that the band is not quite at that point with this EP. The second track on “Shut Out The Sky” is “Binge”, and this song has a much more angular output than “Dallas” did. This is not to say that Victor Bravo does not come out with the same sort of retro sound that “Dallas” first presented, but the band seems to be a lot more spontaneous on this track than the prior one. This track is distinguished from the rest of the tracks on the disc because Victor Bravo are able to craft one of the most catchy choruses of the recent time. “Sarbanes-Oxley” is the third track, and it takes a tack where the bass on the track is turned up to play the perfect dark side to the loud and tinny vocals present on the track. Victor Bravo are able to come up with a number of different styles, but do it in a solid way throughout the entirety of “Shut Out The Sky”.

The vocals go a little out of key at times, but the instrumentation remains focused and full throughout the track. The guitar work that starts off “Toxic Tornado” sounds like a blend between the Breeders and Bad Religion. The Iggy Pop-like vocals that are present work well with the instrumentation, and it seems to be this track that best shows Victor Bravo. The band still could tighten up their sound a little bit, but there is some talent present throughout “Shut Out The Sky” that will hopefully evolve with time. Keep listening for more information about Victor Bravo and pick up a copy of the next LP that they come out with. Hopefully it will build off of “Shut Out The Sky”.

Top Track: Toxic Tornado

Rating: 5.7/10

[JMcQ]