Porco/Rosso, aside from having a great name (hello Ghibli), is the moniker for MYC based Mark Tseng Putterman. His indie rock EP “Innverventions” sits nicely between home made bedroom rockers and euphoric anti-anthems.
Opener “Love, Sick” is the perfect case in point. The main riff itself is not quite the usual chord arrangement and the ethereal vocals the seep it make it like a soothing banshee. Porco/Rosso’s voice is not the strongest in the world but the reason he wins you over is because he sings it all with such conviction. If there’s a slight offkey moment, its driven and so strikes an emotive balance between precision and blood. It’s a great riff and arrangement though and “You Never Had The Balls (to break my heart)” follows on the rock riff momentum. The backing vocals are so happy and sweet like they’ve been transported from the 1960’s, along with the very bright electric guitars, that when paired against the rougher elements it’s like a retro future sound. I dig it. “Juliana” pulls more towards classic rocker tropes with some added psychedelia moments. The guitars have a worn out Hawaii quality to them that make you think of sitting in the shade thinking of love lost. It’s a fine track. “Holy Man” is a short interlude track that’s primarily acoustic guitar and voice and whilst being short it really allows Porco/Rosso’s lazy delivery to shine. It’s when the EP feels more ramshackle that it sounds best. “City Lights” is the epic closer and pulls everything we’ve heard before all together. The guitars and 60’s drums really work in creating an angry early 80’s gothic feel – which is amped up with added organs. The track itself is catchy and reminds me of Babylon Zoo.
Porco/Rosso’s second EP is one of those EP’s that you grow to enjoy over several listens. It’s that fact it’s not perfect that makes it human. The guitars and tracks are great and shows real potential for trying out twists on the usual standard rock affair. Throw in a little dream pop and there’s a bright future for a lil piggy.