Amidst hardcore screams, pounding double bass, and a slew of pop-punk acts, Nick LeBlanc and the Pink Beans certainly stand out from their surroundings. While many bands in their hometown of New Bedford, MA are working on catchy choruses and how to get the right “chug” out of their guitars, Nick LeBlanc and the Pink Beans take a different approach, sometimes abandoning choruses all together. Their self-titled debut album is testament to that.
The six tracks are filled with intense energy, solid guitar playing and a powerful rhythm section. Perhaps the most striking feature of the album lies in the backing vocals. Leblanc brought in Easton resident Kristin Santangelo to give the album more soul and, well, it certainly worked. Her backings can be heard scattered throughout the album, but her most striking performance is on track four, I Think It Might Be Right. She closes the track with an emotionally-charged vocal solo, reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s Great Gig In the Sky. This song is particularly interesting because it makes use of a chorus (accompanied by Santangelo and a host of other singers,including recording engineer/producer of the album Trevor Vaughn) to supply the hook for the song, unlike the rest of the album which relies heavily on music-driven hooks in place of choruses.
Overall, the album is a pleasant mix of punk rock, jazz, and classic and indie-rock influences with subtle hints of an ostentatious, "look what we can do” attitude.”
–Daniel McMahon