The Rumble Strips - Girls and Weather (Fallout / Island)
4/5
By: Gareth Roberts
It's been a long time coming, but the Rumble Strips have finally got around to releasing their debut album. They've come a long way in the past 18 months, emerging as ramshackle quirky purveyors of brass infused alt-pop, they have evolved into a potentially mainstream bothering, meticulously polished outfit. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, songs such as 'Hate Me You Do' and 'Oh Creole' deserve the slick production, they are after all bona-fide pop monsters whose credentials would fail to be exploited in a lo-fi setting.
From the waking call of 'No Soul' to the slow building 'Hands', each and every song is in possession of a certain guile and wit sadly lacking from most bands these days - although at times the sheer cheerfulness and feelgood nature of some of the songs, if not lyrically then certainly musically, can grate a little. None more so than during 'Clouds', a somewhat naïve sounding lowlight on an otherwise hit littered album. However, for all their obvious brilliance - and I realise I'm nit picking here - I can't help but feel that there is a certain element of magic that has somehow been lost in the recording process.
There is absolutely no denying they are a fantastic band, particularly in a live setting - Charlie Waller is surely in possession of one of the best voices in music, add this to the fact that they are all great musicians and you really can't go far wrong - if only more of the rigour and spontaneity of the live show transposed itself onto this record. You cannot escape the feeling that their transition to a major label has served to strip away some of their character. But still, a fantastic debut album nonetheless, and well worth the wait.
Stream three tracks from 'Girls and Weather' HERE.
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