24 January 2006

rumble strips - "motorcycle" (from the "no soul / motorcyle" single, import available for preorder here.)

this band really excites me.

recently, i've been hearing acts who remind me of dexys : arcade fire, the concretes, early hot hot heat, &c.

this band, though, sound like dexys, the singer himself reminiscent of the boy rowland.

the sound is a bit thin--for now. the singer is a bit of a one man gang, still searching for the young soul rebels; the band has at least one horn, though a full brass section can't be far away.

the boy is not only searching for a gang, he's searching for a girl. he wishes that his bike was a motorcycle b/c that would solve everything. it's a bit like hearing the other side of a shangri-las song, jimmy or bobby or johnny in his own words--and he's far more sensitive than one might have thought.

all in all, it's a bit like a prequel, dexys issue #0--or a cameo appearance in another title. it's a thrilling little record that promises much, and i believe in my soul that the rumble strips won't let me down ...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like this a whole whole lot. A whole lot.

I never have anything to say here except exactly that, but I chime in when something is particularly awesome just to let you know that random people out there really appreciate the stuff you put up. I am old and busy now and this is pretty much the only place I go to hear new music, and some of it (like this) reminds me of why I still make the effort.

So thanks. I like it.

Anonymous said...

how do the arcade fire remind you of dexy's??

-josh

fred said...

i'm glad you like it. it's always nice to come across great new bands; it's always nice to know that people appreciate it. some days, it's a real slog to find something worth posting, while other it is a positive joy.

josh: as for arcade fire and dexy's, win is slightly rowland-ish w/ his vocals, but that's not really what i meant. mainly, it comes from them being a big group who make a big noise and shout a lot. there's also a lot of sympathy between the band and the vocalist. also, like dexys, they don't seem to respect the lines between genres.

to be honest, it's more of a sense of spirit than any kind of propinquity between the sound of the two bands.