Gusto

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banazan releases

No Evil Star

Sound The Siren

At the turn of the century somewhere in the seedy micro-sprawl of post-urban Sacramento, California, in an environment of general confusion, frustration and ennui, the rock duo known as GUSTO was born.

During the last decade of the 20th century, Allen was playing guitar in local indie bands (MAXIWAGON, TORPEDO, KNOCK KNOCK, THE TALENT SHOW) and Denise had been dj-ing at KDVS, spinning the finest in indie rock/pop. After becoming fast friends, Denise's burning desire to play music took over. She got behind a drum kit and taught herself to play. Soon, Denise and Allen began exchanging beats for riffs. After months of late nights spent in a dirty rehearsal space, amorphous jams became songs, and Denise and Allen became GUSTO.

Armed with a set of songs that roar and bounce, their live performances are a thing to behold, an explosion of catharsis and urgency that launches pop shrapnel into an unsuspecting audience.

(Gusto eventually became Oh Dark Thirty)

Reviews:

Gusto - "No Evil Star" cd (Banazan)

This is the debut album from this boy/girl duo from Sacramento. They've got a stripped-down sound, with just drums and guitar (though it's a bassy-sounding guitar, which I suspect to be a baritone guitar); and can best be described as Heavens To Betsy with Richard from Versus trying to sing like Black Francis. I can even hear a little Half Japanese at times (see "The Down Town"). The vocals take a little getting used to, but do fit the music well. The songs are mostly minimal - lotsa single note playing - and quite loud and raw. It definitely sounds as if these songs were recorded live in one take (which makes me think that their real live show must be impressive). The songs are generally short (ten songs in under 26 minutes), but are still varied enough to avoid repetition. MTQ=8/10

--- indiepages.com

Gusto are Allen Campos [guitar and vocals] and Denise Clarke [drums], a two-piece rock band from Sacramento, California. This is their first album, released on Banazan Records.

The Banazan Records site describes Gusto's sound as "like 2002 post punk shot through the veins of the pixies" and that seems pretty accurate, they make forceful and direct but pop-influenced and danceable rock. Gusto have a surprisingly full and complex sound for a band with only two members, combining strong instrumental skills with lots of presence and well-written emotional lyrics. I hear their shows are really great, too.
Moon Rocket Distro

Sacramento's Allen Campos and Denise Clarke couldn't care less about labels and what's hip these days. No Evil Star highlights their tastes for post-punk, darkwave and pop without ever settling on one specific sound. It's perfect, really; you won't be sick of this sound yet, as radio hasn't figured out how to package it.

No Evil Star comes out screaming from the get-go with "Hey Stranger": seriously fat baritone guitar on the melody, simple yet deadly drumming set to the exasperated snarl of "I'm digging a hole...prospecting!" Their hurry-get-it-down-on-tape aesthetic exudes a kind of cool "sloppiness" and is a wake-up call for the chumps in today's click track nation. Gusto remember how cool it was the first time you heard the fall-apart ending to "She's Lost Control", or the slowly drifting tempo on The Damned's "I Feel Alright". The duo of drummer and guitars/vocals is well-done; you won't miss the other pieces of the typical rock band, just as you don't notice they're missing on, say, Tones on Tails's "Go".
My only complaint is the vocals, which feel a bit under-cooked. Sure, Campos recalls Ian Curtis, but so much so that it's sometimes distracting (see "Rock Moves"). This isn't necessarily a travesty -- after all, it hasn't hurt Interpol -- but it keeps the duo's lyrical message from meeting the quality level established by their music.

-- Dave Madden, Splendid

Gusto are Allen Campos [guitar and vocals] and Denise Clarke [drums], a two-piece rock band from Sacramento, California. This is their first album, released on Banazan Records. The Banazan Records site describes Gusto's sound as "like 2002 post punk shot through the veins of the pixies" and that seems pretty accurate, they make forceful and direct but pop-influenced and danceable rock. Gusto have a surprisingly full and complex sound for a band with only two members, combining strong instrumental skills with lots of presence and well-written emotional lyrics.

-- Tonevendor

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