Metal Cares

Picastro | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 17, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polyvinyl Records
• ASIN: B0007NMJOU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully unsettling, February 1, 2012

By 

John Miller - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Metal Cares (Audio CD)

With this rock album, you know what you're in for with the first track, which declares "Let's be cheap... let's be monsters... like we really are."

The instrumentation is slowcore, sparse and relatively thin, with lyrics usually predominating. Unlike in Picastro's later album Become Secret, which has very thick playing, in Metal Cares the instruments provide a nice contrast to the words because the words to these songs can be so heavy. The repetitive, slowcore lyrics on every track give Metal Cares a brooding atmosphere that isn't too ponderous; the atmosphere manages not to be overly serious either, fortunately for a band that intends to be believably unsettling.

The same female vocalist is on every track; it's rare for back-up vocals to appear, and when they do, they never overshadow the star vocalist. She doesn't intend to hold a melody, which is to say that she only sometimes brings the words almost to singing. Her voice is appropriately low, rounded, and ghostly. I keep imagining a pitch dark scene with a leafless tree when I hear her. For better or for worse, none of the tracks really stand out, and four of them are under 2 minutes 50 seconds. This gives the album a somewhat uncertain or incoherent feel, which adds to the creepiness and makes each song more or less stand alone. Recommended songs are "No Contest," "Sharks," "Raddy Daddy," and "Blonde Fires."

At forty minutes, it's just what I consider worthy of being a CD, instead of an EP.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Taken From Silence Magazine, October 6, 2005

By 

Doctor Jones "Silence Magazine" (TEXAS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metal Cares (Audio CD)

The new Picastro album should come with a warning label on the front that says handle with care. Metal Cares, the second offering from this group of solemn musicians recorded this album only during the hours of 2:00am and 5:00am most likely. Front woman Liz Hysen's vocals and lyrics are even more brittle than that of Chan Marshall, if that's possible. Somewhere along the lines of living everyday life with the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Elliott Smith, Cat Power, Smog, and even the red hot Arcade Fire, Picastro developed several artistically promising phobias.

To my knowledge, Metal Cares isn't a dedicated concept album, but it's own concept brings to life that sense of respect Panda Bear's solo effort Young Prayer commands. This Picastro album has songs that seem unfinished. These personal thoughts are only trying to be communicated on the surface to hide their true meanings, connecting the puzzle would give too much of Hysen away. Hysen fears being discovered and loves to repeat cryptic lyrics that leave the listener in the dark. This can allow the listener to space out with Metal Cares' protracted compositions with self-interpreting lyrics that aren't too overbearing; otherwise we'd pop in an exhausting epic like Bright Eyes' Lifted, or M83's Before The Dawn Heals Us. Picastro create meaningful songs, but in a more quiet contemplation.

This type of songwriting can take a little more patience than many people are willing to lend. It's fairly easy to listen to this entire album, get sidetracked, and not remember anything beyond the first or second song. Despite not being demanding musically, it's very demanding on the mind. It better be the only thing you're concentrating on at the time. Even eating a Twinkie while listening could get you thinking about how they put the cream inside of it, instead of carefully dissecting each element of the album. Metal Cares will certainly carry insomnia anytime you need it.

I've listened to this album more than most before I write the review, simply because you want to be able to recall the end of the album; especially closer, "Blonde Fires." This song was my personal favorite when I decided to take my friend's Ritalin and discover this beauty. If I were a serious touring musician I believe this would be the type of music I would create. The vocals would be as somber as Liz Hysen delivers them but the lyrics would be more optimistic and have a country twang [I'm not too fearful, and I don't self loathe, so what else is there?]. Sometimes it's harder to know when not to put too much percussion in your song, and Picastro score a perfect ten with their dose on "Blond Fires." These minimal rolls compliment the very Canadian feel Picastro's Rachel McBride lays over the song with her cello. (see Godspeed for traditional Canadian cello composition)

Picastro will most likely go unnoticed this year. They have the talent to put something together that might draw attention, but as for Metal Cares it's just here to spark our interests in things that aren't normally interesting. (see Twinkie analogy above) This band I would hope at least be given a chance. It's doesn't really have that hate it or love it feel, but I could see it as an album that grows on you.

-Dustin Reid (May 10, 2005)