Wednesday, April 01, 2009

We're back from a break, ready to bring you smashing new reviews, interviews and features every day from here on in. April Fools, we are not. And so we begin with a review of The Rakes latest effort, Klang!


I never quite got caught up in the buzz surrounding The Rakes back in the heady days of 2004/2005, or indulged too heavily in their debut Capture/Release. However, the superb 'World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect' has been slowly lodging itself into my head over the past few months, alongside the rest of their fantastic sophomore album, Ten New Messages. Which is lucky really, seeing as their third effort takes that more sophisticated and produced sound of their second album as it's base, as opposed to the Paul Epworth produced tangle of their debut.

The Rakes are one of those bands that seem to revel in the day to day of life in a modern city. From 'The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker' to 'Light From Your Mac' (“we can spoon or something, just don't show me the fucking futon”), Klang is an album drenched and dripping in the experiences and eloquence of night after night stumbling down brightly lit streets at darkly lit hours. Each track has a fantastic pounding energy behind it, a driving force of hollow drums and angular guitars dragging lead singer Alan Donohoe's vocal contributions along relentlessly. For me, Klang is the most refined example of The Rakes art-punk sound. An irresistable taste of smoke and haze; the soundtrack to casually calculated living.

[MP3]The Rakes - The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker - (Alt Link)
[DOWNLOAD] Get more free downloads at RCRDLBL.
[BUY] Buy Klang from HMV or 7 Digital.
[MYSPACE] Check out The Rakes on myspace here.