It's always nice when a talented new indie band emerges with a style all of their own. Los Angeles band Black Them Boots' debut album Fancy delivers an intriguing, melodic stream of witty, up-tempo songs that mix indie pop and alternative rock with folk and post punk influences.

Taking their name from a verse in a "ring-play folk song", Black Them Boots was formed by singer and songwriter Larry Corte and guitarist Pat Martin during the summer of 2006. The duo's initial folk rock project gradually morphed into the distinct sound they have today. Part of the evolution of the band's music comes from the confinement and boredom Corte struggled with following a serious snowboarding accident in 2007. With little else to do but wait for his injuries to heal, Corte found an outlet in his songwriting. Following his recovery, bassist Mark Waters and drummer Chris Fischer joined the band to record the songs for Fancy.

The result is an album full of attention grabbing, enjoyable music, as evident on the alt rock songs "Don't Look Back", "A Horse On A Hill" and "Locked Up". The main elements of the band's unique style - witty and ironic lyrics (mostly revolving around love), ambient guitar riffs, thick, thumpy bass lines and driving drum beats - are also evidenced on songs like "It Feels A Lot Like Love" and the post-punk revivalist track "One Way"(which sounds like the Brit rock band Editors).

The do-do-do choruses and lighthearted pop melodies of "Dear Darling" provide another twist, and yet another opportunity, for Corte to sneak in his jaded view of love: "Oh yeah that’s my heart on my sleeve, you stab, you jab, you poke at me," the song goes; followed only seconds later by: "I have an angel on my mind, if you're not her, don't waste my time. I have a demon trapped inside, if you're an angel, it will hide."

One of the album's stand out tracks - "Scar" - touches on the wounds of love, but it is delivered with such upbeat sarcasm and optimistic defiance that it's easy to miss the misery that exists between the lines of the song's lyrics. This is a common theme on BTB's debut; even the record's last song, a cover version of the otherwise somber (but with a silver lining?) Daniel Johnston "True Love Will Find You In The End," has an uplifting, even cheerful, spin to it.

The band's musical influences include The Pixies, Gang of Four, Weezer, Nirvana, Cake, Pavement and Sonic Youth, among others. Black Them Boots have played shows in Los Angeles, where the band has a growing fan base. Now they're ready to take on the rest of the country with a month long tour (August 6 - Sept. 3) throughout the west and midwest. Fancy is a great debut from a promising band that I suspect we will be hearing more about in the years to come; that is, if heartbreak doesn't kill them first.

"Don't Look Back" - Black Them Boots from Fancy (2009)

"Dear Darling" - Black Them Boots from Fancy (2009)

Bonus Track: "True Love Will Find You In The End" (Daniel Johnston) - Black Them Boots from Fancy (2009)

Official website: www.blackthemboots.com

MySpace page: www.myspace.com/blackthemboots

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Labels: Black Them Boots, Indie Artist/Group Profiles