Reverend Beat-Man and Izobel Garcia

Baile Bruja Muerte (2018)

TomTrauma

Everyone says they want to hear something different, but then when they finally do, they rarely know what the hell to make of it. That’s where I’m at with Reverend Beat-Man & Izobel Garcia and Baile Bruja Muerto. Even after several listens, I’m still left scratching my head. Not in a bad way. I guess I could start with a little background.

Reverend Beat-Man is pretty well known in punk and garage circles in Switzerland. (Think maybe a Swiss Jello Biafra.) He’s probably best known for fronting the garage punk juggernaut The Monsters, but has produced a ton of eclectic solo material too. He also runs a label, Voodoo Rhythm Records, that specializes in releases by similar artists. (I reviewed a really solid album from Bad Mojos on that label earlier this year.) Izobel Garcia is a Los Angeles based folk/punk singer and artist. The two might seem like an odd pair, but somehow the partnership works.

Garcia’s is the first voice we hear on Baile Bruja Muerto. “Pero Te Amo (But I Love You)” is one of only a couple of true duets on the record. (Most songs feature one or the other.) It starts with a single guitar, and is the first of a handful of songs in Spanish. “Come Back Lord” is a ‘60s garage rock freakout that would certainly have been banned in the ‘60s. (Hell, someone might have gone to jail for it in the ‘60s.) The cover of “Black Metal” might seem like an odd choice, but apparently Venom is one of Beat-Man’s very favorite bands. (You may recall that Punknews debuted the video.) It’s reworked until only its essence remains.

That really seems to be Beat-Man’s strength. He’s able to strip almost everything away to get to the heart of a song. His treatment of The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” makes it feel dark and ominous. The organ riff and vocal on “Nerviosa” will make you feel, well, nervous. “I’ll take care of You” would be a really pleasant or even romantic soul song, complete with the sound of crackling vinyl, without Beat-Man’s menacing voice. Closer “My Name Reverend Beatman” is the longest track on Baile Bruja Muerto. It’s essentially a nonsensical but highly entertaining spoken word piece.

Reverend Beat-Man & Izobel Garcia have made a record that is very difficult to classify. The songs are all over the place, and it’s production is stark but intentional. Sometimes it can be fairly close to standard garage rock, or raw rhythm and blues. More often it sounds like the soundtrack to your nightmares. It’s like circus music, if the circus was really fucking scary. Ultimately, weird as it is, Baile Bruja Muerto succeeds. Check it out - if you dare.