When a band lists its influences as Gypsy field recordings, Greek rembetika, Russian folk songs,
the Faces, and
Black Sabbath, you know you're not in for your usual Top 40 fare. Welcome to the world of
Picastro, where stark arrangements, strings, and hard-to-decipher vocals are all key ingredients. Early on in their career,
Picastro focused solely on acoustic guitar and cello, but by the time their sophomore full-length,
Metal Cares, dropped in 2005,
Picastro's instrumentation had expanded, as electric guitars, piano, and violin were all added. The quartet (which is led by Liz Hysen) called on a lengthy list of musician friends to lend a hand on
Metal Cares, including Tigerbeat6 artist
Dwayne Sodahberk;
Jim McIntyre of Sea Snakes;
Evan Clarke of Blake and
Rockets Red Glare;
Zak Hanna of Bush League and
Pecola; and
Owen Pallett, who has recorded with
the Arcade Fire,
Jim Guthrie, and
Hidden Cameras, plus his own projects Final Fantasy and Les Mouches. Although you can say
Picastro sometimes resemble a more "out there"
PJ Harvey ("Dramaman") and
Tori Amos ("Common Cold"), all their influences add up to create a style that is hard to pin down. It may be mellow, but it sure ain't mainstream.