"If only this bike was a motorcycle..."

The Rumble Strips (great name, that) from the UK are being hyped in my inbox, so I thought I'd take a listen and share with you...

Sounds to me like a mix of old Madness/English Beat, provincial English pub rock and indie sensibilities with an eye to the Top of the Pops. So in other words, has anything changed in England over the past 40 years? :-)



I think the promo materials nail their sound perfectly: "Indeed, the Young Soul Rebel spirit of the singles ‘Alarm Clock’ and ‘Motorcycle’ is evident on the album, but the record also takes in a range of less expected (but no less profound) influences: the gorgeous harmonies are born out of the band’s love of 1950s doo-wop, whilst the epic nature of Charlie’s song writing recalls the oddball genius of both Adam Ant and Queen (as imagined by the Stax house band)." Yeeeeeessssss.

Here's their UK single from 2007, which reach #46 in the UK charts - the charming and slightly daft "Motorcycle". The LP "Girls and Weather" arrives in the US on August 5th On Gigantic Music.