At first I thought the source of the band’s name had to be obvious: Must refer to “Love Is a Tangle,” the song Darcy Malone’s father Dave sang with the Radiators, right? Well, maybe. But spinning the disc reveals a band so eclectic, in all the right ways, that “tangle” is the most fitting description of their sound.
Everything on the Tangle’s official CD debut (they actually did a low-key local release a couple years back) sounds unmistakably like New Orleans rock ’n’ roll, but none of it harks back to any one band or even one era. The opening “Baby Cakes” has a bit of New Wave flavor—the wailing sax brings memories of the Psychedelic Furs, and the main guitar lick has a touch of “Pretty in Pink”—but Malone’s playful, flirtatious vocal gives it a much different feel. Less obvious at first is the slyness in their songwriting: While the song sounds like a romantic come-on, it’s actually an invitation to go on a crime spree and blow all the money down in Mexico.
Malone’s powerful voice won’t be a surprise to those who’ve seen her doing cover shows with her dad, nor will the grounding in ’60s pop. While she’s the star of the show, she doesn’t overwhelm. Guitarist Chris Boye gets a few leads, and the group vocals prove another asset: “Motel Room” pairs some sweet Mamas & Papas harmonies with a decidedly less-sweet lyric about impulsive hookups on tour. Malone has her best moments on a pair of polar-opposite songs that come back to back: “Crossing Line” is a ballad with Wall of Sound production that lets her soar and emote; one song later she gets nasty on “Be a Man,” whose lyrics dispose of a guy who won’t do what the title says.
They get more progressive on “Belly of the Sea”—a Caribbean groove whose story is partly told instrumentally—and visit more familiar territory on “On Baronne,” a hometown groove for the fun of it. Always good to hear an ambitious band with the songwriting chops to pull it all off.
