MP3 of the Day: Black Eyes & Neckties

Bellingham, Wash.'s Black Eyes & Neckties owes a lot of its sound to its geographic location. The band is like a next generation Murder City Devils, mixed with the screamo-slanted punk more recent acts like the Blood Brothers helped make popular. The members adopt a vampire goth punk aesthetic fashion-wise, but their music is too energetic to wallow in much gloom 'n' doom. Theirs is instead a breathless, howling style anchored by staticy guitars and horror flick keyboard melodies. Great stuff. BENt will be hitting the Bay Area on Saturday, August 23, when the band plays the Stork Club. To prepare your gang chant screams now, check out Black Eyes & Neckties track "New Womb" here. -- Jennifer Maerz