Black Cards - Details @ Midnight LA - 11-4-11

Lina Lecaro

​Black Cards
Details@Midnight at Room 86
11-4-11

Better than: Ashlee Simpson trying to be punk.

Pete Wentz was known for overshadowing everyone in his band Fall Out Boy, but can he do the same if his lead singer is a hot chick? Last night we found out, when his new band Black Cards played a not-so-surprise set for the traveling party known as Details @ Midnight in Hollywood. The answer: sort of. The popular pop-punker has gone in a completely new direction, replacing his bass for a laptop and his previous band's goofy rock grinds with rhythms that go from raw and banging to dance radio friendly. Wentz's fame aside, the band's viability will have as much to do with the vocals and charisma of Cards singer, newcomer Bebe Rexha, and her chemistry with him. They've got it, but it needs to be honed on stage a lot better and the music as a whole could use clearer focus.

Lina Lecaro

​Having not been familiar with Wentz's project before last night, we weren't sure what to expect and after about the third song, we still weren't clear on the intention here. In addition to Wentz and Rexha there was a live drummer on stage, whose beats actually over-powered the band and recorded parts on a few songs. Wentz leaves his laptop a lot to sing -- well, rant -- with Rexha up front and it's always on the more aggressive numbers. These moments felt almost rap rock-ish and kinda cheesy.

The band has labeled itself "electro-pop" in media promo and Wentz himself has admitted it's probably not for everyone... namely FOB fans. The first released track with a video, "Club Killed Heaven" has a very Rhianna-like quality and the stuff on the band's website is as infectious as any other glossy, well-produced dance jam that Gaga or even Britney might release. Rexha's voice is in fact, very Brit and RiRi-like, though less soulful than the latter.