Miranda and The Beat, Black Leather Rose, Tandoori Knights give the gift of rock 'n' roll on new split 12"
Arriving on an auspicious evening with all the significance of mysterious kings from distant lands bearing priceless gifts, Black Leather Rose in collaboration with Tandoori Knights (King Khan and Bloodshot Bill) have teamed up with Miranda and The Beat on a special split 12” to bless the world with the miracle of rock n roll.
Montreal’s Black Leather Rose showcases their rebellious penchant for crafting impeccably cinematic soundscapes in the outlaw western-style with “Que Sera (Sad Song)” and “Handsome Devil,” a pair of forlorn gunfighter ballads produced in the authentic tradition but shot through with modern attitude. Channeling the combined prowess of Red Mass’ Roy Vucino and production wizard Sebastien Perry, Black Leather Rose enlists support from legendary underground icons King Khan to populate their celluloid symphony with outsized personalities perfectly cast amongst tumbling tumbleweeds of sound.
“Que Sera (Sad Song)” mixes up the lazy cadence of westernalia with whip-tight modern guitar lines, laying the groundwork for a lonely protest song that stands defiant against the arbitrary restrictions of a one-sided cultural framework rigged against the underdog and the outsider forced to play the jester for the soulless amusement of The Man. Like a lonely soliloquy delivered slightly-soused from the far end of the bar in a mostly empty saloon, “Que Sera (Sad Song)” initially confronts reality with a resigned sense of inevitability, but builds into an anthem of personal liberation as the composition swells to a final conclusion incorporating uplifting strings symbolizing a new sunrise of hopeful perseverance.
“Handsome Devil” takes a different approach to sounds carved from the same block of marble, combining rockabilly rhythms with the jangly guitarwork of indie rock into a rousing profile of a man possessed of inordinate levels of charm, impossible good looks, and a shameless flaunter of individual wealth. Is this man the Devil himself, a caricature of rock n roll excess, or perhaps a little of both? David Lee Roth with an Aphex Twin grin, an empty husk of mortal flesh who long ago traded his humanity in exchanged for a life of luxurious notoriety and a subsequent eternity spent burning amidst the flames of Hell.
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Flipping the record presents two new tracks from New York’s Miranda and The Beat that continue to push the band’s signature soulful sound in new directions while remaining true to their specific brand of streetwise posturing and heartbreaking vulnerability. “Calling My Name” and “Why Don’t You Want Me” approach sordid tales of romance with all the smoldering intensity of burning cigarette dangling from the ruby-red pout of a femme fatale, porcelain skin streaked with running mascara beneath eyes shimmering with steely ferocity.
“Calling My Name” opens with an overwhelming crash of reverb and a bassline as black as midnight. Jangly guitar and soaring vocals are drawn together into a last dance bursting with emotion, locked in an embrace of consensual finality that sways in and out of focus as the intoxicating effects of a year-long love affair evaporate among the shimmering tinsel and faraway echoes of a chorus of Auld Lang Syne. A resolute spoken-word interlude sets up the finale as two bodies separate, the distance between expanding like the universe in the aftermath of a cosmic explosion, a last signal sent across the frigid abyss - “don’t go calling my name.”
Rounding out the side, “Why Don’t You Want Me” is a rollicking rocker that moves with a full throttle cadence in high contrast to the preceding track’s inherent melancholy. The heavily propulsive composition is constructed in layers that crackle throughout with a nervous energy that pounds with stressful insistence that threatens to fly apart at any moment. A white-knuckle ride of explosive emotions boiling over from questioning the cold rebuffs of a distant Romeo into a cavalcade of hyperventilating self-medicating mania and a telltale motorik heartbeat bassline hellbent on personal annihilation.
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Available now on extremely limited 12” vinyl via Khannibalism and streaming on Spotify, this monumental team up is an iconic reason for the season and a thrilling testament to rock n roll’s enduring ability to save the soul.
Upcoming Shows - Miranda and The Beat w/ The Black Lips
DEC 28, 2023 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA TICKETS
DEC 29, 2023 - Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA TICKETS
DEC 30, 2023 - Pappy + Harriet's - Pioneertown, CA TICKETS
DEC 31, 2023 - Lodge Room - Highland Park, CA TICKETS