The first instinct when hearing Bambara is to label it as a noise-rock outfit, but pretty soon there comes a hesitation. The New York transplants, originally from Georgia, bring a sort of Western rhythm into the affair. The howling guitars start sounding like an ominous wind ripping across the new frontier, the groaning vocals become an impassioned southern drawl. That may be overstating certain influences, but it is true that the core of Bambara’s sound is a mutation of guitar music, manifesting in near-forgotten influences (desert rock?) and otherworldly contortions of guitar noise. That remains just as true on the band’s third album, Shadow on Everything, released last week. It’s a dark, effects-heavy piece of post-punk that draws apt comparisons to the deep, tense and troubled music of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. On April 13th, a week after that release, Bambara will celebrate the album live performing with added accompaniment from strings and saxophone at ALPHAVILLE. Listen to Shadow on Everything below. – Cameron Carr
