Dryvetyme Onlyne

Hollywood Black
Two Thousand Years of Progress
Mia Kat Empire
Rating: 6.4

If there’s one thing that I love most about being a part of a city’s local music scene is the unbridled passion and fervent drive to pursue music that’s resident within everyone. Bands and fans alike thrive on being able to connect on- & off-stage in ways that even mid-sized bands can’t accomplish once they begin touring outside of their home city, county, and state. There’s this pure DIY ethos that permeates a band’s writing style, practice regimen, and performance energy that almost always gets lost once a record label gets involved. Oh, the right producer working with the right band who’s signed to the right record label might be able to catch lightning in a bottle and do the band’s live presence some justice. But, come on now, we all know that the transition from being an unsigned band to being part of even an indie label is a rough one, fraught with potential pitfalls.

So, when I first started spinning Hollywood Black’s debut album, Two Thousand Years Of Progress, I was amazed at how practiced yet ardent this band sounded. Their instruments rang out like clarion calls, drawing you in with their youthful exuberance. From the beginning, the album leaps out at the listener with a balanced amalgamation of punk riffs, aggressive power pop, and stripped-down acoustic ballads. Catchy hooks & clever wordplay fill up the seconds and minutes of each song to the point that it’s nearly impossible to not sing along with the band.

Throughout the album, the men of Hollywood Black speak exactly what’s on their hearts and minds, yet do so without being too preachy, political, or evangelistic, which can be difficult when a band is truly trying to make a statement with their lyrics. Granted, there are lyrics from songs like “The End” that pushed me over the edge a bit – “I think it’s funny that it’s safer to worship Satan than to worship God. This world is winding down.” I’m not sure I can quite buy that argument; I mean, the culture warriors over at Fox News might agree with you, but that’s about it. However, with songs like “Kingwood,” “Deeds And Idolatries,” and “The Prodigal,” the band’s lyrical content strikes a chord familiar to fans of early Pedro The Lion and Discover America (or Twothirtyeight, if you like Chris Staples’ first band). There is some cogent and strong storytelling here that shouldn’t be ignored.

Simply stated, this band has crafted a solid, if slightly unpolished, record with Two Thousand Years of Progress. Still, as even-handed as the production was when weighing out the differing genres, I would have liked to have heard less stylistic meandering and more of a focused sound. They’d make a great punk band because the guys are actually quite talented. Nevertheless, Hollywood Black certainly found a quality partner in Mia Kat Empire – both the band and the label are making a conscious effort to let the music be the driving force behind everyone’s efforts. In the end, the music is what matters, or at least it should be.