Cowpunk


File this one under "unexpected hit". Brakes are a Brit indie supergroup made up of members from Electric Soft Parade and the Tenderfoot and are fronted by British Sea Power's Eamon Hamilton. Their LP Give Blood got's it's domestic release on Rough Trade US a few weeks back. I'd heard the first single All Night Disco Party and loved it's goofy new waviness. Then I read a review or two that were less than positive. I decided to get the record anyway. To my pleasant surprise the album is very entertaining. It a scruffy yet not too sloppy set of post punk-ish, indie rock tunes with a serious dose of country flavor and a tiny dash of new wave. It's all over the place, from Neil Young to Sonic Youth, and it doesn't suffer from it. It seems to me that these guys had a fun time writing and recording the record, and this makes for good listening.
You're So Pretty is a lovely, twangy tune that shows the alt-country flavor off pretty well - I hear a wee bit of Grandaddy in this tune too. There are a few well chosen covers - the Johnny Cash/June Carter tune Jackson is a lot of fun, as is the Jesus and Mary Chain tune Sometimes Always. The band also throw out a bunch of short-burst songs, including one which details the band's political stance - Cheney. It's only 10 seconds long - clear and concise and there's no doubt about which way they lean! A great record.