Posted on: December 20, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Rumble Strips – Alarm Clock / 2007 Kanine / 6 Tracks / http://www.therumblestrips.com / http://www.kaninerecords.com /

Few bands have the cahones to cover the great Thin Lizzy. That is what The Rumble Strips do on their “Alarm Clock” EP, along with placing 5 other rockin’ songs on the disc. “Alarm Clock” starts with a very prominent horn section that make The Rumble Strips sound a little like the Planet Smashers. When the Birtish accent of the band kicks in, I go back to the days when I would watch The Undertones and Madness on MuchMusic, and tried to catch episodes of the Young Ones on BBC America. The Rumble Strips have that type of retro sound, but it is the strength of the vocals and impressive production that is present on this EP that make the disc into something that is truly great.

“Oh Creole” continues with the strong horn present, dropping out only when the vocals kick in. “Oh Creole” brings The Rumble Strips even further back into the collective music memory. When I hear this track, I hear the male pop stars of the late fifties and early sixties. The chorus has a much newer sound, but there is no denying that the vocals recall Fabian and all of the rest of the teen pop stars from the period. The Rumble Strips top the EP off with the aforementioned cover of “The Boys Are Back In Town”, an energetic cover that actually takes the energy of the original song and throws an entirely new layer of paint on the song. IT is my opinion (and I may be in the minority) that The Rumble Strips’ version is actually better than the Thin Lizzy one. The Rumble Strips are big the U.K., but when this EP comes out, they will be rocketing up the American charts sooner rather than later. Pick this EP up, soon.

Top Track: The Boys Are Back In Town

Rating: 6.3/10

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