The husband-wife duo formerly known as Cursed Arrows now go by Bardos. Less diverse than Cursed Arrows' post-grunge, Bardos' Stolen Sex Tapes reaches further back to punk/post-punk reference points such as PiL, the Cramps, Stooges and Black Flag. This comes through with the retro punk feel of tracks like the raw opener, "Say No to Johnny."
Bardos may not evoke those same Cursed Arrows shivers, but the couple continue to deliver solid rhythms, vocals and lyrics. The album features groovy, stomping rock (check the Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque locomotive chug of "Busy Skies"). More direct tracks like the half acoustic, half aggressive "Saviour's Son" and the title track switch things up a bit. The sound may not deviate much, but the album isn't entirely one-dimensional, with blues and folk-meets-garage notions appearing on songs like the "Meat Heart" (which feels like the Kills) and the strummed, White Stripes-y "Who Do You Kill."
Drummer/songwriter Bardo's rock diva power, especially on "Sad Fucks," gives you the sense that she'd be no match for a guy twice her size in a dark alley. But she proves she can also be sentimental when she wants to, as on the more upbeat "Miscarry You."
(Independent)Bardos may not evoke those same Cursed Arrows shivers, but the couple continue to deliver solid rhythms, vocals and lyrics. The album features groovy, stomping rock (check the Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque locomotive chug of "Busy Skies"). More direct tracks like the half acoustic, half aggressive "Saviour's Son" and the title track switch things up a bit. The sound may not deviate much, but the album isn't entirely one-dimensional, with blues and folk-meets-garage notions appearing on songs like the "Meat Heart" (which feels like the Kills) and the strummed, White Stripes-y "Who Do You Kill."
Drummer/songwriter Bardo's rock diva power, especially on "Sad Fucks," gives you the sense that she'd be no match for a guy twice her size in a dark alley. But she proves she can also be sentimental when she wants to, as on the more upbeat "Miscarry You."
