Solid Little Rock Jams

The Strange Boys - The Strange Boys... And Girls Club

Did these feisty buckaroos just take someone's Apple® computer outside and take a picture of themselves using the renowned Photo Booth feature and call that the album cover? Sure bloody looks like it! What's next, writing their songs using nothing but autotune, a program that has the power to literally make songwriting brilliance materialize out of thin air and should be stopped at all costs?

But that's a debate that we just can't get into right now. A debate that cannot be contained by this blog, let alone by a single entry. However, PLEASE add your thoughts to this internet message board thread if you want to be part of the solution. Or any solution, really. Fight the good fight to preserve authenticity in music. I said, "music," not "rap," LOL.

Alright, so this album is okay. Garagey rock that is supposed to sound old and like the past half century of music never even happened. Some sort of achievement in rock music production as well as songwriting, perhaps? It all certainly sounds like these young people have done their homework and know the difference between the Wailers and No Age. Sounding authentic is something that they don't have to worry about.

Who fucking cares, though? Are these songs any good? Why 16 tracks? Why 37 minutes? Do we praise these bands for not inescapably sounding like products of their time or do we throw this shit away while we know that three months later we'll still be spinning the classics while the next Merriweather Post Pavilion will truly be capturing our new music hungry hearts?

The truth is... no one can say for sure. Certainly not me because I only listened to this album once and if you're reading this blog, you are more than familiar with the concept of "the grower" and how one can be lurking behind every corner, even when you're convinced that you shouldn't even bother expecting it to do so.

Dogg and I went out for burritos the other night and while discussing our favorite releases of the year (his top 5: Phoenix, Green Day, MPP, The-Dream, Grizzly Bear; mine: MPP, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The-Dream, Future of The Left, Wavves (<-- recommended)), he looked at me blankly and stated, "Music is done. Go home."

And it was. And I did.

Thanks, Dogg.

Rating: Let It Bloom still sounds okay.
Download Link: I don't think so.