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Pico vs. Island Trees covers Look Sharp by Joe Jackson
Despite the fact that the audience of 100+ at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC loudly appreciated their older material, Pico gracefully carried the crowd’s interest and energy through all of their new stuff as well. Although it is more groovy, with synthesized strings and Marvin Gaye-era guitar riffs, Pico’s new material has the same momentum that their older acoustic-driven pop/rock songs have. And to top it all off, the Ghost of Springsteen Past lives strong in Pico’s live sound, as they powerfully deliver mini-arena rock styling through steady and clarified instrumentation and mature musical organization.
For professed pop bands like Pico, commercial success is a major goal. But far too many bands seeking popularity sacrifice musical creativity for that ever-successful Fall Out Boy sound. And while that tack may earn a band 100 fourteen-year-olds at their shows, groups like this lack the staying power and musical integrity that a band like Pico vs. Island Trees has. With more experience, a couple of EPs, and a few more show stopping rock songs under their belt, Pico will be ready for the national stage. You can check them out at myspace.com/pico. Their new EP, Futura, drops in early April.
