Broken Guru is a trio from Queens, NY. According to their bio the music is their passion, but their dreams are fading (like most of ours) as the responsibility of adulthood takes over their lives.
Each listen of the album brings the band closer to me. At first it seemed to me the band was somehow a few degrees away from me. Not like a third generation cassette recording of a cassette recording, but somehow oddly not quite with me. I still can’t quite put my finger on it. I suspect they’re one of those bands you need to see live, and I watched a video of a live performance of “Pariah Stomp” to see if that was the case. Still, there’s some sort of odd disconnectedness. The drummer Ray Fiero has this sort of blasé thing going on as he drums away with sunglasses on, shielding us from whatever passion exists in his eyes. And I can’t say that band members Rich Guerzon and Chrisy Fiero have the kind of stage presence that’s going to fire up a crowd, but at the end of the day Broken Guru is downright charming.
Musically clean and vocally imprecise (intentionally, I presume) their music really does grow on you. Some licks you think you’ve heard before, but eventually each song turns into its own little unique piece of garage band art. “Like a Whore” is particularly fun. “Ghost” features an awesome guitar solo, unlike any I’ve ever heard. And the title track, “Bent Up Halo,” starts off like an old friend, introduces some slightly dissonant vocals and forces you to bop along with your head. I can see how this song would cause a crowd to move.
This is a band we need to see live. Want to come to Fairfield County, Broken Guru?
Take a listen, readers, and let us know what you think in the comments.
This post was sponsored by Independent Music Promotions. All opinions are our own.
