Band To Watch: Pagoda

We get a lot of CDs here; they usually sit in a pile until we have time to play them. Sorry bands, nothing personal — we all have day jobs, what can we do? Every now & then, we get a CD we make a point of hearing. That’s what happened with the self-titled debut of Pagoda. The album was released on Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label and the lead singer was the star of Last Days, so we gave it a spin.

They aren’t the typical rock setup; for one thing, they have a cellist. The cello gives Pagoda a deeper, thicker sound that suits the their dark lyrics. The music overall is stark and simple, but evocative; the guitar playing reminded us of early Nirvana with touches of metal. The vocals have a moodiness to them - perfect for songs with titles like “Death To Birth.”

According to the Ecstatic Peace site, they’ll be playing a record release party at Tonic on the 27th. Hearing a band that sounds like Nirvana with a little metal in the mix would probably make for a good night out, so go see ‘em. You might also be able to catch them busking at the Fulton St. stop, on the A/C/E lines. We’re pretty sure we’ve seen them there a couple of times.

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