This band has not been my cup of tea, but I do not discount their music. I never put in a lot of time to get into their music. Not to disregard my opinions, other staffers at Razorcake are fans and put in more listening time than I ever have. I was really impressed with their DVD, We’re Not Coming Home. I really got a good charge watching that DVD and appreciated their efforts more. But this release shows a lot of maturity. The band seems to have pushed past what was preconceived as their sound and looked for more challenges. The opening track’s vibe reminded me of a cross of the Pogues meets Tom Waits. On others, I got the same feeling of musical challenge as if listening to Fugazi. I might get ripped for this, but I hear things on this release that could even be compared to Franz Ferdinand. So for me, I’m pretty intrigued by this one. It now goes into the car and into heavy rotation to see if I become one of the converted.
–don (Fat)