Pierced Arrows are old people. Well, relatively anyway. They’re an Oregon based husband and wife duo, and they’re well in to their fifties, playing music longer than most of us have been alive. Fred and Toody Cole, joined in this state by Kelly Halliburton on drums, are a garage rock staple. In a previous incarnation, the Coles were Dead Moon. Dead Moon released a massive 16 alums before disbanding, and now with Halliburton, they released their sophomore effort for their new group, Pierced Arrows, on Vice records.
Descending Shadows plays like the moldy, dingy, basement of a hoarder. There is so little room to focus and bring light in to the space that the listener feels somewhat audibly assaulted afterwards. But isn’t that just rock and roll?
Fred’s voice is as grimy and rough as they come. He cracks and squeaks and pushes every word to its limit. This is especially true in the track “Buried Alive.” The track is packed with screaming, greasy, guttural guitar riffs and lyrics that have something to do with robots. The rest of the album continues like this – not all songs being about robots however.
Primitive fury and cacophony abound, Pierced Arrows deliver exactly what Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder stated in a personal endorsement: “Straight-no-chaser rock ‘n’ roll – not just righteous, but right.”