The Strange Boys
Live Music
Rough Trade
2011
Rating: 6 granite boas out of 10
First, it must be stated that despite the name of this new release by the Strange Boys, it is not a live album. It's entirely possible I was the only person dumb enough to jump to that conclusion, but just in case, now you've been informed. No, it's a regular new record by this Texas band, though quite a bit different from their previous releases...where they could before mostly be classified as catchy garage punk, all the fuzz has been stripped away and we're left with something more akin to seventies AOR rock. Comparisons to Tom Petty, Faces and that ilk are pretty spot on for this band now, surprisingly. There are even a couple of Spoon moments, which probably isn't all that surprising since Jim Eno of Spoon produced half of the record.
I'm going to be completely honest, I don't know how to feel about this release, and probably won't come to my final conclusion for quite some time. I like the garage sass of the old Strange Boys, and I'm generally not against the type of music they are playing now. But I'm not sure how well it sits with me when a band changes their sound so drastically. I wouldn't be surprised if this new turn brought them more fans though, and if the group is still having fun, who am I to gripe?
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