The Dark Horse Project are an interesting return to the post-punk sound of the 90's and I have been enjoying listening to their first CD. The songs on this CD are diverse as the band successfully channels a number of apparent influences. The first track on the CD Haunted Face has heavy southern/gothic overtunes and could easily fit into the songbook of acts like Nick Cave or Mary My Hope. From here songs range from a stripped down power-trio sound (Dark Horse) to torch songs similar to the work Kid Congo Powers did in Congo Norvell and later work with Annie Anxiety.

The members of the band have an interesting pedegree which may explain the band's diverse sound. Singer/Guitarist Liv Mueller(Liv Lovely) tore up the CMJ charts as singer for The Lovelies for a number of years. Marc Hunter and Grant Curry play drums and bass on this disc and were part of James Hall's Pleasure Club for years. For those not familar with James Hall and the Pleasure Club, Hall is part Jim Morrison, part Nick Cave and part the peacher from The Poltergeist movies. This helps explains the dark undercurrent across this disc.

I haven't seen the band play live but they have two upcoming dates in the area and I am going to make a point of trying to catch one of them:

- May 3rd @ Pianos, NYC

- May 4th @ The Williamsburg White Room, Brooklyn

I hadn't heard of the White Room prior to reading about the band's upcoming shows so here is a (link) to the venue's website.

Band Links:
The Dark Horse Project Main Website (link)
The Dark Horse Project MySpace page (link)