Blakes: The Blakes
Friday, 11 Jul 2008 10:31
US trio the Blakes release their debut
Strange Addiction, out July 14th.
In a nutshell...
US rockers reveal love for the ladies
What's it all about?
The self-titled debut album by the Blakes sees the band unveil 13 songs of love and lust over a musical backing that at different times recalls the bluesy bluster of the White Stripes, as well as the swagger of Oasis copyists Jet and the rough grungey sound of the Vines.
Lyrically, the album sees the band outpouring their woman troubles, with the majority of the tracks featuring tales revolving around run-ins with females.
The trio recorded the album at Fort Apache Studios in New England, where the likes of the Lemonheads, Pixies and Elliot Smith have previously worked, with Brian Brown.
Who's it by?
Seattle-based group the Blakes, which consists of brothers Garnet and Snow Keim, who play guitar and bass respectively while sharing vocal duties, and Bob Husak on the drums.
Their name apparently came after the trio, who had previously travelled the US looking for their big break, visited an art gallery in LA and saw an exhibition by William Blake. They won the chance to record soon after and the name stuck.
The group have recently been across the UK playing several dates with the Wombats, while they are also set to join yhe Brian Jonestown Massacre for some more gigs over the course of this month.
As an example...
"I see your keys and there lying there by the door/I'm gonna come in give you something you never had before." – Magoo
"Don't bother me/ I'm caught up in your legs, I don't wanna get out". – Don't Bother Me
"If you're not with another man/I'd like to be with you tonight." – Lie Next To Me
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
As you'd expect from a band whose first break in the UK comes with support slots for the likes of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, this will not appeal to the masses and be picking up awards at the start of next year.
However, people who like their indie music sung by suitably dishevelled delinquents may find something to love here.
What the others say
"The Blakes' self-titled debut hits all the right retro notes, ." – OnlineRock.com
"There are good moments on this album and it can make for a light, decent listen but I'm afraid it won't take much to bump it out of immediate rotation once something more consistent is released." – Twisted Ear
So is it any good?
Well, it depends. If you like music that sounds like its makers have not heard any records released after the heyday of Iggy and the Stooges, this may be one of the albums of the year for you.
It swaggers out of the blocks on the thumping bassline of Two Times, while the shimmery Don't Bother Me shows that while the band can do shouty, they also know their way around a few pop hooks.
People who have the fortune of regularly sleeping with huge scores of women may also fall under the charms of the band's lyrics, which are almost entirely concerned with taking the opposite sex to bed. In fact, the fascinatingly-titled Magoo finds the band so seemingly exhausted from bedding women that they resort to singing in tongues ("Lama gama lama gama magoo").
However, as incomprehensible as it sounds, the sex-obsessed tales begin to bore after a while and make the band seem rather one-paced. The melancholic (and rather good) Lintwalk is the only song that hints at something different, which means those looking for anything truly remarkable would almost certainly be disappointed by what's on offer.
The Blakes leave you in no doubt that they are pretty good at what they do, but their debut reveals that their sound is so limited that you can't see how they could make a second record without just repeating themselves.
6 /10
Rob Dixon
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