Bling Bling

As the great Steve Perry once said, ³Don't stop believin'/Just hold on to that feelin' "; A truly inspirational phrase from an inspirational band. But it's hard to keep believin¹ when the only feelin¹ you've got to hold on to is, say, the catharsis of hearing Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation...

By Audra Schroeder

March 25, 2004

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As the great Steve Perry once said, ³Don't stop believin'/Just hold on to that feelin' "; A truly inspirational phrase from an inspirational band. But it's hard to keep believin¹ when the only feelin¹ you've got to hold on to is, say, the catharsis of hearing Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation for the first time or the intoxicating excitement of seeing that Hsker D video on 120 Minutes at 3 a.m. But lawdy lawd, listening to South Florida four-piece Bling Bling's second album covers you with that warm and fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. The influence of '80s indie-rock gods like the Pixies isn't a secret here, especially on the throttling "Garb for an Age," where singer/guitarist Ivan Marchena channels Frank Black's signature deadpan chorus/frantic wail. "Blade of the Made," "10-4 on the Makeout," and the title track are bass-heavy kicks in the crotch that toe the line between raging house-party anthems and catchy pop bliss. As the bio sent out by Bling Bling drummer/Spy-Fi Records founder Ed Artigas states, Diary of a... is music to drink by. One guitar chugs while the other swerves; the drums and bass gallop hard. Backup vocals whisper into your ear, and Ivan's voice rails over each song Boss Hog-style, the only way he knows how, and that's just a little bit more than the law will allow. Just hold on to that feeeelaayiin'.

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